A Similar Grudge
by c.petersen
Summary: Takes place during T5 but after DOA5. Hitomi's life has returned to normal after becoming runner-up at the fifth Dead or Alive tournament. Everything seems well until a vicious Kempo fighter injures her father and destroys the dojo. Putting her life on hold, Hitomi sets out to find him and exact revenge. Her only leads: The KOIFT5, and a certain Osakan who holds a similar grudge.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hello everyone! This is my first story on this account, which I made in order to satisfy the craving for a new story I had while not starting yet another one on my old account. It's a Tekken/DOA crossover idea I've had for a while featuring a pairing that I think works really well - Asuka and Hitomi. Two tomboys with similar personalities! Enjoy and R&R!

* * *

Joachim Heinrich stood tall and proudly on the sidelines of his dojo watching his students. The young teenagers were practicing their katas with varying degrees of focus and precision, but Joachim knew that this was to be expected. He recalled fondly the days where he would watch his own daughter, Hitomi making the same mistakes. How he missed being able to scold her…it seemed now that she was very close to perfecting the art of karate – the old man would have no qualms admitting that she had even surpassed himself.

He couldn't be prouder.

As the class continued, so did Joachim's musings. Even though he was incredibly proud of Hitomi for all of her accomplishments, the fatherly part of him couldn't help but feel the slightest bit left out of her life. When his little _krieger _had reached the age of 20, Joachim finally caved and allowed her to move out and get her own place. It pained him greatly to see her go, but he knew that it was time. It even took a great deal of convincing from his lovely wife Hikari to finally let Hitomi move out, but as soon as he felt his daughter leap into his arms with tears in her eyes, he knew he made the right choice.

No matter where she went, Hitomi would always be Joachim's little girl. Seeing her happy was more than enough for him now.

"Sensei?"

Joachim looked down at the student who broke him out of his train of thought with a smile. While not much shorter than him, the boy was a lot scrawnier, and his short black hair always seemed to be in a perpetual state of disarray. Despite his appearance however, he was a good kid and always tried his hardest in every class.

"What can I do for you, Kilian?"

Kilian rubbed the back of his head nervously, "I think everyone is getting a bit tired. Maybe we should call it a day?"

Joachim looked around and chuckled to himself. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he forgot he had a class to run!

"I think you might be right about that," said the old man with a smile. He quickly gathered up the remaining students and dismissed them to the change rooms, though Kilian remained behind.

The karate master quirked an eyebrow, "Was there something else you needed, Kilian?"

The boy absentmindedly ran a hand through his hair and looked down at the ground. Joachim noticed his cheeks were slightly tinged with red.

"It's just…you're a fantastic teacher and all but…well I was wondering when Hitomi was coming back next to substitute for you."

The old man had to laugh, "Got a thing for her eh?"

Kilian's blue eyes widened considerably, "W-what?! No, I was just wondering…plus it's always good to mix things up a bit right, Sensei?"

Joachim laid a reassuring hand on the kid's shoulder, "Hitomi is due here next week. She's told me that she can't wait to get back into the dojo after her entrance exams for university are finished, so you're going to start seeing her a lot more around here once she's finished with that."

"Great! Guess I should really kick into high gear with my training for when she comes back," said Kilian with a confident smirk.

Joachim raised an eyebrow, "You mean you don't do that already?"

The boy stiffened and glanced at the clock, "Uh, is that the time already? I really need to get going! See you on Thursday, Sensei!"

With that, Kilian all but ran out of the room. Joachim just smiled and shook his head.

_I'm excited too, Kilian._

* * *

Hitomi was humming to herself as she climbed up the stairs of her apartment. She was currently balancing her bag of groceries with one hand while fumbling for her keys with the other.

_Whew, long day. I'm going to enjoy this!_

After kicking the door closed, the brunette laid her groceries on the kitchen counter and looked over to her coffee table. The poor piece of furniture was littered with school books and notes of all kinds. The half-German, half-Japanese girl had been going especially hard for the past week with studying to get ready for her entrance exams for university. After deeming herself somewhat ready for her exams tomorrow, Hitomi had decided to let off some steam the only way she knew how other than training – cooking.

It was something that the brunette just had a natural affinity for. Even at home with her parents, Hitomi often offered to cook most of the meals as she got older, and her parents eventually just let her start doing it after experiencing how delicious her food was. Of course, her mother and father were good at it too, her mother being especially gifted at preparing some of the more delicate Japanese cuisines.

Hitomi hopped over to the counter and fished through her bag. She was feeling like something simple and light today to make up for the rather large amount of sachetorte that she indulged in the day before. The brunette smiled sheepishly to herself – she couldn't help it! The dessert was just too damn good!

She decided that a simple garden salad would suffice. While not seeming like much, for her salad was by far the most fun to make. In Hitomi's own mind, cutting up vegetables without a cutting board was an art that only the best of the best could master.

But she was getting ahead of herself.

Before she could start however, the German felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. Slightly miffed by the bad timing, Hitomi took out the small device. Instantly, the light in her eyes returned when she saw who was calling.

"Mama!"

"Hello, Hitomi. How are you?"

Hitomi skipped over to her couch with her phone and plopped down, "Great! Been studying especially hard this week, but I know it's going to be worth it!"

Hikari cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder while she returned to preparing dinner for herself and her husband.

"That's wonderful, sweetheart. I know you will do just fine."

"I'm hoping! So what's up?"

"I'm just preparing dinner for your father. You know how he is, taking his sweet time to come back home to his loving wife. I swear he married that dojo instead of me sometimes..."

Hitomi smirked, "Oh, mom…he's probably just getting some training in for himself for when I come back there next week! Doesn't want me to beat him when we spar."

Hikari laughed on the other line, "You will though."

Hitomi chuckled along with her mother.

There was a comfortable silence for a moment until Hitomi decided to break it.

"I'm really excited to see you guys. Haven't been home in a while…"

The girl could almost feel her mother's reassuring smile as she replied, "We're excited too. And don't worry, you're father knows how busy you are with school; he would never hold something like that against you – you know that, Hitomi."

Hitomi sighed, "Yeah, but I still can't help but feel bad. Plus my muscles are especially tight from lack of training, so that ain't helping my mood either…"

Hikari had to laugh. Her daughter was notorious for being able to direct any conversation back to karate.

"I'm telling you, Hitomi, he'll be just fine when you arrive here. He can't wait to see you, I can tell. Speaking of which, he should be home by now…what's taking him so long?"

Before Hitomi could respond she heard her parents' doorbell ring on the other line.

"Who's that?"

Hikari looked at her front door, "I'm not sure. Look I will have to call you back, Hitomi. I love you, take care."

Hitomi smiled warmly before hanging up the phone, "Love you too, mama."

The brunette made her way back to her kitchen and pulled out a large knife while smirking.

"Let's get started, then!"

Hikari made her way to the door and opened it. Her eyes widened when she saw who was there.

"…what can I do for you, officer?"

* * *

_Two hours earlier._

Joachim emerged from the change rooms feeling refreshed after his shower. He had opted to throw on a simple pair of faded jeans and a white button-up shirt after hanging up his gi. He gathered up his things and went to lock up for the day when something caught his attention.

The door adjacent to the change rooms where the dojo itself was located was slightly ajar, and Joachim could hear noises on the other side. As he narrowed his eyes and leaned a bit closer, he noticed that what started as small rummaging noises soon turned into aggravated and careless searching.

Without further ado, the German man opened the door fully and stepped inside, crossing his arms.

"Might I ask what you're doing young man? The dojo is closed for the day, and I don't remember giving you permission to turn it upside down."

The culprit turned around slowly and stood up straight. The first thing Joachim noticed about him was that he was Chinese. His black hair featured a long braid that reached the middle of his back, and he was shirtless. He had a very muscular physique and gold rings adorning both of his wrists. His face was completely stern – he looked rather unimpressed with Joachim.

"The God-Fist scrolls. Where are they?"

Joachim uncrossed his arms, "The God-Fist scrolls? Those do not actually exist, they are only told of in legend. Besides, what makes you think I would have them anyway?"

The Chinese man clenched his fists, "You are Joachim Heinrich. Your skills in karate are far known. The scrolls do not speak of a particular fighting style, so I have been going to masters of many different styles in search of them. Now, where are they?"

Joachim re-crossed his arms looking annoyed, "I already told you I don't have them. Now leave before I call the cops for breaking and entering."

Suddenly, the culprit got into his fighting stance, "You will talk."

* * *

Hikari sat at her kitchen table with light tears brimming her eyelids. In front of her was a man with a pink shirt and white tie. His long black hair was tied back and he had a police badge visible on one of his white suspenders. His hands were calmly folded in front of him but his face had a rather serious expression.

"Please Mrs. Heinrich," the man started, "I need to know if you have any information on this man or why he would attack your husband. Is there anything else you can tell me?"

Hikari slammed her hand on the table in annoyance, although the detective didn't seem fazed at all.

"I told you I don't know anything else! All I know is that my husband runs a karate dojo and has been practicing it for the majority of his life. I don't know what this 'Feng Wei' would even want with him or even who he is!"

Lei Wulong bowed his head slightly, "Forgive me Mrs. Heinrich. I am just trying to see if I can find anymore leads on Feng. I have been searching for him for quite some time you see. Is there anyone else you know that might know more with regards to your husband's dojo?"

Hikari hesitated. Of course she knew someone else, but no way was she going to put another one of her family in danger.

As if reading her thoughts, Lei placed his hand over hers, "I promise you they will come to no harm."

The Japanese woman looked into the detective's eyes and saw that he was being genuine. She looked down at the table nervously.

"My daughter…Hitomi. She is my husband's best student at the dojo. She would know more."

Lei nodded and gave Hikari a reassuring smile, "And where would I find your daughter? Should I wait here for her?"

Hikari shook her head and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, "She has her own place. I'll give you the address…"

The detective nodded again, "Thank you, Mrs. Heinrich. Your cooperation is much appreciated. If you want I can now have you escorted to the hospital to see your husband. I will have your daughter join you there shortly."

Hikari weakly nodded.

With that the detective got up, took the address Hikari wrote down and the two of them left the house together.

* * *

**A/N: **"Heinrich" as a surname apparently means "Powerful" but don't quote me on that since I'm not German haha. (Although I know it's a variant of Henry as a first name...) Regardless, I just needed to give Hitomi a last name so there ya go. Hikari means "Radiance" I believe, and Kilian means "Little Warrior". "Krieger" also means warrior by itself...I think. I'm using the internet here so I really don't know haha. Anyways, next chapter I'll start to blend the two universes a little more, but first chapter always needs to have a bit of build up and backstory! Until next time! Remember to R&R!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I'm super excited to write this story, you guys. I can't believe there is next to no Hitomi/Asuka on this site! The two of them just seem like they would work so well together! Anyway, Chapter 2 is up! I'm hoping I can continue updating consistently, wouldn't that be just lovely?

* * *

Hitomi was a person who usually had a very cheerful and carefree disposition on life. There were very few occasions in which she was actually flat out angry. In fact, the German could only really recall one such occasion in recent memory – an argument she had with her father a few months back about moving out. Looking back on it, Hitomi felt regretful for lashing out at her father back then, but the situation had resolved itself quite nicely in the end so it was of little consequence.

The situation right now, however, had the brunette absolutely _seething. _

Hitomi sat next to her mother in the hospital waiting room practically shaking with anger. There were tears in her eyes but she wasn't about to let them fall – not in front of her mother, who was just as distraught.

After finishing preparing her salad, Hitomi had been in an especially good mood. She had sat down to watch a rerun of a German soap opera (they were a guilty pleasure of hers), and was halfway through it when she heard a knock at her door. Curious, the brunette opened it to come face to face with a man she instantly recognized.

Hitomi's father often told her about Lei Wulong. Even though he was all the way from China, anyone who even had a vague interest in martial arts was at least familiar with the Hong Kong supercop's name. He was one of the only people in the entire world who was a known master of five-form kung-fu _and _drunken boxing.

So understandably, Hitomi was more than a little excited to see him at the front door of her tiny apartment. She couldn't wait for him to meet her father.

But then, after having a brief conversation with Lei, all of the German's plans (as well as her mood) went to complete and utter _shit_.

As soon as the words had left the detective's mouth, Hitomi had all but bolted out of her apartment in nothing but her sweatpants and a tank top. It took Lei a couple of minutes to catch up with her, but he had wisely decided not to stop her and speak with her until they both got to the hospital.

And now here she was.

Lei was standing at the front desk speaking to the receptionist, who fortunately spoke English like Hitomi and her mother. After a couple minutes he returned to sit on the other side of Hitomi.

"Your father's in critical condition, but he is being treated as we speak. I don't know the extent of his injuries yet, but judging by how fast the entire spectacle was reported and the amount of time it took for him to get here, I'd say he has a good chance." Lei rubbed the back of his head nervously while trying to give the two women some kind of sad smile.

It was silent for a long couple of moments. Hitomi was simply staring blankly in front of her with her fists clenched so tight they were turning red. No one said anything until Hikari unexpectedly let out a rather large sob, snapping the girl out of her rage-induced daze.

The brunette instantly got out of her chair and knelt in front of her mother, grabbing her shoulders. This prompted Hikari to look up into her daughter's now determined eyes.

"Mama…nothing's going to happen. Daddy's going to be fine, I promise."

Hikari weakly nodded as more tears started to run down her face.

She hated it. She hated that the love of her life was so engrossed in karate. She knew that one day it would get Joachim into trouble, and it was looking as if that day finally came. If he got out of this, she was going to put her foot down. Her husband had already been in the hospital before due to the stress of it all, and now he was back yet again. There would be no more karate. Hikari needed to have her family back before it was too late.

Hitomi got up and started pacing the room. There was no way she could ever sit still right now. Even though she was previously exhausted from a long day of studying, the recent events had stirred up a sort of renewed vigor inside the brunette. More than anything she simply wanted to pummel something to relieve her anger, or more specifically, _someone. _

Feng Wei. That was the jerk's name. A stupid name if you asked her. She knew nothing about him, nor did she want to. All she knew was that he needed to pay dearly for this. In the back of her mind, Hitomi knew that she needed to control her emotions better, but at the moment she simply didn't care. She _couldn't _care about that, at least not until she knew her father was alright.

She was so confused…why would this man randomly break into the dojo? Lei had mentioned some kind of "God Scrolls" or something, but they did not sound at all familiar to her. The brunette made a mental note to look them up at a later date.

She needed to find this man as soon as possible. Nothing else was anywhere near as important anymore.

* * *

Asuka Kazama. The self proclaimed _'Gang Mediator'_, and soon-to-be the self proclaimed _'Ass Kicker of Guys who randomly beat up my Dad.'_

Brash, arrogant and rather impatient with complete idiots, Asuka was one tough Osakan girl. Being a Kazama, the rest of her family (namely her parents and an aunt she had never met but heard much about) were considered to be of a gentle and understanding nature. Asuka however, was on the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

A special case if you will, the Osakan had a _very _strong sense of justice. It was so powerful that it often got her mixed up with the wrong people. Fortunately for her, Asuka's father made sure to teach his daughter everything he knew about Kazama-Style Self Defense. It was a tradition in their family to pass down the style through the generations so that it would never be lost.

_Unfortunately_ for her, this also made the Kazama name somewhat well known. Asuka assumed that this must have been how _he _had been able to find the family dojo.

The seventeen year old sat at her father's bedside in the hospital, glaring at nothing. He was in stable condition, though his injuries were rather severe. Master Kazama had sustained a broken collarbone, several broken ribs, a concussion, and worst of all, a repulsively broken arm. He was lucky in that there was no apparent internal bleeding or damages, so he just needed an immense amount of time to heal. The important thing however, was that his life was not in danger.

The question that hung in the air however, was if he would ever be able to practice his art ever again. In complete honesty, Asuka doubted it, and this only contributed to her already immeasurable amount of anger.

The Osakan teenager absentmindedly began clenching her fists, but relaxed them when she realized she was crumpling the paper she still held in her hand. She had read it over and over again since she received it from that Lei Wulong guy, but she couldn't help it.

_Come and join the world's greatest martial arts competition! _

_The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5 has officially begun!_

_Hosted by the Mishima Conglomerate in the heart of Tokyo Japan, fighters from all over the globe are welcome to compete! _

_Come and test your strength against some of the greatest that the world of fighting has to offer!_

_See you in the ring!_

Asuka smirked. He was going to be there. If this tournament was really all it was hyped up to be, then Feng was bound to show up. The path set before her was clear as crystal – Asuka was going to enter as well.

She didn't have a choice, really.

* * *

She couldn't do it anymore. Hitomi couldn't keep the tears in. The sight of her father was…shocking. He had been laid carefully on the bed, his right leg in a cast and elevated slightly in the air. Around his head were several layers of bandages, and his face looked to be very badly bruised. Joachim did not look like the unbreakable man that Hitomi had known all her life. He was looking quite the opposite, in fact.

Her mother of course, was crying as well. The brunette would have been surprised if she hadn't been. The two women were sitting on either side of Joachim, who was still unconscious. Neither had said anything since entering the room over 20 minutes ago. They were both just holding on to each of Joachim's hands while silent tears were flowing down each of their cheeks.

Hitomi felt so…helpless. She was so, _so _angry at so many things. She was of course angry at Feng Wei for committing such a terrible thing to her father, and she was angry at whoever had the mind to teach that psycho how to fight in the first place…hell she was even angry at whoever the hell decided to raise him at all! To Hitomi, no one like him deserved to even have a family…

...and perhaps he actually didn't have one. Not that she cared at all.

But the person Hitomi was angry at most of all, was herself. She kept thinking back to when she had found out about what happened from Lei. She had just been loafing around on her couch watching some dumb television show while eating a goddamn garden salad! She wasn't doing anything productive; she had finished all her errands and her studying was finished as well. She could have gone to her parents' house for dinner, and yet she didn't even give it any thought at all!

If she had just been there…none of this would have happened. Hitomi didn't care who this guy was, nobody could handle the combined might of her and her _ritter _in a fight. If she had been able to protect her father, he wouldn't be the mess that he was now in front of her.

"Papa…" whispered Hitomi in a choked voice, "I'm so sorry I failed you…"

"Don't you dare put this on yourself, Hitomi."

The girl's head snapped up to see her mother regarding her with stern, tear-filled eyes.

"But mother…"

Hikari shook her head, "No buts. You couldn't have known. There's nothing you could have done. How do you think your father would react if he could hear you right now?"

Hitomi clenched her free hand tightly, "But if I was there-"

"Your mother is right, Hitomi."

The brunette turned and saw Lei leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed. He had a bit of an unamused look on his face.

"I'm sorry," Hitomi sighed, "It's just hard not to blame myself for this."

The detective's smile returned, "Hey, its okay. I've been there too, but I learned that dwelling in the past is pointless. We have received news that your father will be fine, and so it's time to look to the future."

Hitomi directed a glare the man, "I can't just let this go!"

Before she knew what she was doing, the German girl had risen from her chair abruptly, letting go of her father's hand and startling her mother. She threw her arm behind her, gesturing to Joachim.

"Look at my dad! Look what this…this _bastard _did to my dad!"

"Hitomi! Please! Mr. Wulong is just trying to help!"

"Mama!"

After looking at Hikari's pleading eyes, Hitomi just sank back into her chair with a defeated sigh. Her tears had returned. She hadn't even noticed Lei enter the room during her outburst, but he was suddenly right in front of her. He put his hands on the girl's shoulders, mirroring Hitomi's actions with her mother previously.

"Hitomi, I was wondering if we could speak privately for a moment. I would like to discuss something with you."

The brunette wiped her eyes slowly and looked at her mother, who nodded weakly with a small smile.

"Okay."

Lei smiled, "Let's go then."

The two of them ventured back to the waiting room, stopping briefly when Lei went to go pour himself a cup of coffee from the machine in the hallway. When they sat down, the detective looked into Hitomi's sky blue eyes and ran a hand through his hair.

"I should apologize, Hitomi. I didn't mean to get you riled up in there…"

The German shook her head slightly, her brown locks swaying slightly in front of her tear-stained face, "No, I should be saying sorry. I really shouldn't have yelled at you…you've been so helpful."

Lei laughed lightly, "Well it's my job. And trust me, Hitomi…I want to find Feng as much as you do. Which is why I'm giving you this."

The Chinese man pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to the brunette. It was the same one he had given Asuka.

Hitomi furrowed her brow, "Another tournament? I've never heard of this one."

Lei quirked an eyebrow, "Seriously? It's one of the biggest martial arts tournaments in the world. It is on par, possibly bigger than Dead or Alive, which you did great in by the way."

Hitomi had to blush. To be complimented on her performance in DOA by Lei Wulong? In any other situation she would have been positively beaming, but right now she could only manage a small smile.

"Thank you, Lei! That means a lot coming from you. My father has told me so much about your skills in five-form kung-fu and drunken boxing. Will you be in the tournament?"

The detective nodded, "Yes. I was hoping that you would consider entering as well. Feng Wei will likely be there, and there is another person entering who I would like you to meet."

"Who?"

Lei paused to take a sip of his coffee, "Let's just say she's in the same boat as you currently. Getting to know her would be a good first step to finding Feng. I was hoping the three of us could work together during the tournament."

"What's her name?"

"Asuka. Asuka Kazama."

Hitomi's eyes widened slightly, "A Kazama? I've heard that name before too. One of my dad's hobbies is researching different martial arts. He says it gives him more insight into the strengths and weaknesses of our traditional karate."

The detective smiled, "He wouldn't be wrong. And yes, the Kazama name is well known in the world of fighting due to them having perfected their own version of Aikido and Aiki-Jujitsu. In addition, another Kazama by the name of Jin will hopefully be at the tournament as well. He was the winner of the King of Iron Fist Tournament 3. I've heard that he now practices karate, like you."

The German's eyes lit up and she pumped her fist, "I can't wait to fight him in the tournament. Should be a good match!"

Lei laughed lightly, then smiled at Hitomi's confident demeanor having somewhat returned. He was sincerely hoping that the girl would benefit from this tournament in more ways than one. She deserved it for what Feng had put her through, and for that matter, so did Asuka. He was excited for them to meet.

The detective downed the rest of his coffee and began fishing through his bag for something, "Well then! I took the liberty of getting you this, our flight leaves tomorrow."

Hitomi took the plane ticket from Lei's hands and for the first time since this whole ordeal took place, she found herself smiling widely. Despite everything that had happened, she had to admit she was thoroughly excited.

_You're mine, Feng Wei._

* * *

**A/N: **_"Ritter"_ is "Knight" in German. Remember to review if you're liking it so far! Until next time!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Hey all! Sorry about the wait, my laptop doesn't start up anymore so I've had to move to my mom's computer while I'm back at home for the summer...I'll still try to update when I can though! And thanks for the reviews by the way! I was a bit worried that not many people would read this since crossover fanfiction is typically a bit few and far between so people don't usually go looking for it. Anyways, enjoy the next chapter and remember to review!

* * *

Hitomi's mother had not been okay with her joining the tournament. Their visit to the hospital did nothing to reassure her that Hitomi would be fine, especially since Hikari was easily able to put two and two together – her daughter was entering to find Feng.

Lei had decided to wait in the waiting room while the karateka tried to convince her mother to let her compete. He decided that this situation probably didn't need his assistance and knew a family issue when he saw one. Hitomi of course didn't need to go; it would just be a lot more convenient if she did.

While he was waiting, the super cop decided to pull out his laptop from his bag. There was some research he needed to conduct regarding this new tournament – specifically who was actually _running _it. About two weeks ago, news had surfaced that Heihachi Mishima had died in an explosion at Honmaru, but Lei knew better than to jump to conclusions. He knew a fair amount about the Mishimas and knew that they were not easily taken down. Not surprisingly, news on the ruthless former leader of the Mishima Zaibatsu's death was rather vague. There was no real solid evidence that Heihachi had actually died, as his body was not found after the explosion. In fact, everything about his alleged death was simply speculation and heresy.

They were simply educated and logical guesses, but guesses nonetheless.

Looking deeper into the history of the Mishima Zaibatsu, Lei came across another piece of information that proved rather interesting…

* * *

"Absolutely not! I won't allow it!"

"Mama, please! I have to do this! Dad-"

"Look at him! I won't let that happen to you! I can't…"

Hitomi felt extremely guilty looking at her mother. She was such a good woman, and she always allowed her daughter and her husband to practice their karate, even if she didn't necessarily agree with it. Her mother never actually said that of course, but Hitomi knew that she was constantly worried.

But still…she needed to find Feng. It just wasn't an option to let this go. The girl would never forgive herself.

"Mom…this is something I need to do. I couldn't protect dad before, at least let me protect his pride. Please…"

Hikari put her hands on her face in exasperation, "I need you to promise me something-"

"I won't let myself get as bad as papa. I'll quit before that happens."

Her mother shook her head, "Hitomi…this man didn't just let your father 'quit'. He was merciless…"

The brunette's anger somewhat returned at hearing this, but she still had a rebuttal against her mother.

"It's a professional tournament like DOA, mom. They won't let it get out of hand."

Of course, Hitomi had never been in an Iron Fist tournament, so she didn't actually know if that was true. But she needed to appease her mother at all costs. She had to be able to compete.

She had to avenge her father.

"You did so well in DOA…I was so proud of you…"

Hitomi's face softened at hearing her mother's words. She knew that she was about to cave.

"Thanks, mama."

Hikari stood up and gave her daughter a warm embrace which she returned wholeheartedly, "Please…please be careful, honey. I can't risk losing someone else."

Hitomi furrowed her brow, "Papa's going to be fine mom."

Her mother didn't say anything to this, but the girl felt her slightly nod.

"How we doing?"

The two German's turned to Lei, who was once again standing in the doorway. Hikari broke their embrace and walked towards the super cop.

"Mr. Wulong…please protect my daughter. I wouldn't be able to stand it if she wound up here as well."

Lei glanced at Hitomi. For the slightest moment, the brunette looked like she wanted to roll her eyes at her mother, but fought against it. The Chinese man grinned.

"I think she can handle herself, but you have my word Mrs. Heinrich. She'll be fine."

Hikari nodded and gave him a short hug, "Thank you for all your help, Lei. I hope you find him."

Nobody in the room needed to know who "he" was. The venomous way the last words left Hikari's mouth made it all too obvious.

Lei gave the older woman a determined look, "I will. Actually," he grinned at Hitomi, "we will."

* * *

After returning to her apartment, packing and getting a much needed rest, Hitomi found herself sitting next to Lei on the plane to Japan. The flight was going to be long, but luckily, the super cop had found a few things to occupy their time.

The German watched as Lei pulled out his laptop and turned it on, "While you were talking to your mother last night, I found a couple things that you might find interesting and helpful. For instance…"

The Chinese man pulled up a page showing the history of the Mishima Zaibatsu. After clicking on a specific link, Hitomi saw a picture of what looked to be a small pair of scrolls. Her blue eyes widened.

"Those are the scrolls you told me about yesterday, aren't they?"

Lei nodded, "Yes. They're called the God Fist Scrolls. The picture you see here is actually just an artist's impression, since no one has actually ever seen them before. The scrolls are only told of in legend."

"What's the legend?" asked Hitomi, curious.

"Well," Lei ran a hand through his hair absentmindedly, "I don't know the details of it, but basically the scrolls were supposedly written long ago by a lone master of an unknown martial art that apparently transcended all other styles. Being the only one who knew the style and having no family, he wanted to preserve its memory before he died, so that his descendants could one day bring it back into the world. He did this by writing all of the style's secrets in two scrolls."

Hitomi put her hand on her chin, "The God Fist scrolls…"

Lei nodded, "Precisely. The thing is, if the scrolls do exist, their whereabouts have remained unknown for thousands of years. Many martial artists have spent their entire lives devoted to finding them. Feng Wei seems to be one of these people."

"But why would he go after my dad?"

The super cop calmly folded his hands in his lap and looked into the German girl's eyes, "Think about it, Hitomi. Your dad has spent the majority of his life training in karate. The scrolls are said to contain 'the one true style that transcends all others and is thus invincible', meaning that in order to master the God Fist Style, one must familiarize him or herself with all other martial arts. I would guess that Feng Wei attacked your dad, and possibly many other known martial arts masters because they are all bound to have at least heard of the scrolls. Perhaps he is simply looking for a more legitimate lead."

The German clenched her fists in anger, "So he just attacks anyone of even the smallest importance hoping to eventually find a lead on the scrolls? They might not even exist!"

The Chinese man shook his head slightly, "I know. It's pretty delusional and reckless, but that's what you get with someone as blinded by power as Feng is. Like I said, some people spend their whole lives trying to find the scrolls."

Hitomi sighed in annoyance and leaned back in her chair, "So what does this have to do with the Mishimas exactly? I always thought they were just some big corporation that wanted to prove how much better they are than everyone else. Kind of like DOATEC I guess. I never wanted to get involved with them."

Lei sighed, "Well you're going to have to. The King of Iron Fist Tournament is always sponsored by the Mishima family. This brings me back to this page I brought up here."

Glancing at the web page again, Hitomi recognized the man on it immediately. She never wanted to know a lot about the Mishimas, seeing as they just appeared to be a cruel group of people who liked to cause as many problems as they could without being shut down by authorities. However anyone would recognize the distinct and intimidating appearance of Heihachi Mishima. Hitomi had to admit that she was glad to hear the news that he had died; he was truly a terrible human being from what she'd heard of him, which wasn't much considering...but still.

"Heihachi Mishima? I heard he died."

Lei rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "So did I, which is another thing I wanted to mention. But first, look at this. The reason he is pictured here with the scrolls is because a while back Heihachi apparently had announced that he had found the God Fist Scrolls. This was probably to generate hype for the upcoming tournament before his unfortunate and alleged demise."

Hitomi furrowed her brow, "Alleged?"

"His body hasn't been found yet."

The German's blue orbs widened, "Wasn't there an explosion though? It was all over the news when I got back from the fifth Dead or Alive tournament. There's no way anyone could survive that!"

Once again, the super cop sighed deeply, "If anyone could though, it'd be Heihachi. I swear the man is immortal sometimes. Hell, even his son was thrown into a volcano and somehow survived."

Hitomi gaped, "…what?!"

Lei couldn't help but chuckle. He was expecting that reaction from the girl.

"That's a conversation for another day though. The point of all of this was to show you that this web page here is the most legitimate lead on the scrolls yet. If Feng Wei caught wind of this, he is sure to be at the tournament."

The brunette grinned, "So we're definitely gonna run into him then."

Lei smiled, "Exactly. I've finally narrowed down his location. I also sent this page to Asuka, though I haven't heard back from her…"

The German shrugged, "Well she'll be at the tournament anyway, right?"

The Chinese man chuckled, "Oh yeah, she'll be there. Not only is she just as pissed as you about this, but I can tell that girl has a certain love for fighting you don't usually find in a Kazama. I've met both Jin and his mother and I can tell you, she's nothing like them. In fact, she's more like you."

Hitomi grinned. She was so excited to meet Asuka. Sure, she had a bunch of friends back in Germany, but there was something about being friends with a fellow martial artist that made the relationship deeper. That was precisely the reason why she and Leifang bonded so well; both had an admiration for the other's love of their fighting prowess. It was something that her friends back at school just wouldn't be able to understand, not that she'd ever blame them.

"Is she meeting us when we arrive in Japan?"

Lei nodded, "I told her to meet us at the airport. This is her first time in the King of Iron Fist Tournament as well."

The karateka absentmindedly tightened her red gloves, "Guess her and I are in this together then, huh?"

* * *

Asuka sat impatiently in the crowded airport terminal with her luggage. Looking back up at the large screen, she noticed that the flight from Germany was already 20 minutes late. Sighing in annoyance, the Osakan allowed her mind to wander.

Lei had told Asuka that his search for Feng had been narrowed to Japan when she last spoke to him, but then he just randomly up and left for Germany. It didn't make a lot of sense to her, but she didn't question him since he was a cop. Before he had left he'd mentioned a name to her…"Heinrich" if she recalled correctly. Saying it out loud, Asuka suddenly became a bit embarrassed. Her Japanese was flawless, but even though she could speak English fluently thanks to her dad, it was still ridiculously accented. She hoped that whoever Lei brought back with him could speak Japanese.

That's when her mind went back to the name he mentioned. Why did "Heinrich" sound so familiar?

Then it clicked.

Of course! "Heinrich" was the surname of Joachim Heinrich, one of the most well known foreign karate masters her dad had told her about. Though karate originated in Japan, Joachim had made a name for himself in several fighting tournaments back in the day, at least according to her dad. Still, that was apparently a long time ago, so the Osakan had to assume that whoever this new "Heinrich" was had to be a descendant of some sort. Maybe a son, niece or cousin or something.

And that could only mean that Lei really wanted to get this person to join the tournament as well. She just couldn't put her finger on the reason why.

Whatever the case, Asuka was rather excited to meet this new mystery "Heinrich". She also couldn't help but wonder if they were also here for Feng Wei. It was likely the reason; why else would Lei go all the way to Germany to see them?

Her thoughts were broken when she finally saw the familiar tacky pink shirt and white tie of Lei Wulong, as well as another girl who was clad in denim and a rather cute pink headband in her light brown hair. Surrounded by the bustling Japanese crowd, Asuka had to admit that the girl stood out rather well, but she seemed completely unfazed by this. What caught the Osakan the most though was the girl's extremely distinctive blue eyes. She didn't know if it was the crowd in the airport or just in general, but for some reason those eyes stood out to her really well.

She didn't even recognize when Lei was waving to her until the Chinese man finally called out loud enough for her to hear him.

"Asuka! Over here!"

* * *

**A/N: **Ugh...the ending of this chapter hit me as super cliched, but whatever. Sorry if this chapter was rather bland, but I needed some filler before I get into it. I personally feel like detailed filler is super important for crossover fanfiction because you're blending two completely different universes. But I'm getting ahead of myself...remember to review! Until next time.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Appreciating the reviews guys! Keep em' coming!

* * *

Hitomi pulled her luggage along hurriedly beside Lei as they went to meet up with Asuka. The first thing the German noticed about the girl was her rather interesting attire.

The Japanese girl, who looked slightly younger than the German, was wearing what appeared to be some kind of light blue jumpsuit that exposed her toned arms and legs. She had matching gloves and boots to go along with it, as well a darker blue crop top underneath and a belt adorned with stars. It was a very interesting outfit; definitely unique considering the fact that most of the other people around them were in suits and dresses for the most part.

Asuka was also a brunette like Hitomi, although her hair was quite a few shades darker and cut a lot shorter. The Japanese girl looked slightly miffed when she saw the duo, as if she'd been waiting for a long time – which she probably had been considering their flight was late.

The German had to suppress a light laugh when Asuka decided to give Lei a nice solid punch on the arm. He winced.

"Ow! What was that for?"

The Osakan crossed her arms and smirked, "I don't like waiting."

The super cop kept rubbing his arm, "It wasn't our fault! Our flight was delayed."

Asuka simply waved her hand dismissively while turning to Hitomi. She stuck out her hand and grinned widely.

"Asuka Kazama. Pleased to meet ya!"

Hitomi took the girl's blue-gloved hand without a second thought, "Hitomi Heinrich! And same!" She smiled warmly at Asuka.

"You're related to Joachim, right?"

The German nodded, "Yeah. He's my dad." The karateka suddenly furrowed her brow in confusion, "Wait, you've heard of him?"

"Of course," said Asuka while stretching her back a bit. "My dad told me about his skills in karate. You must be pretty good yourself!"

Lei patted the German girl's back a couple times, "She is. She came second in the most recent Dead or Alive tournament."

Hitomi sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

Asuka grinned, "Seriously? That's pretty impressive, Hitomi. Though I bet I could've beat you if I had entered."

Lei gave the older girl a look as if to say, _See what I mean about her? _Hitomi just laughed and gave the Osakan a smirk.

"Well why didn't you enter then?"

Asuka shrugged and put her hands behind her back, "Wasn't old enough, at least according to my dad. I was still 16 when it was going on. I actually just turned 17 a couple weeks ago."

Hitomi had to stop herself from gaping. Asuka didn't look that young. The girl only looked maybe a year younger than herself, two at most. It surprised her greatly considering the great shape the younger girl was in. The German had to admire that.

"Ah well," Hitomi started, "your dad has a point. I mean, I only entered my first Dead or Alive tournament when I was 18, and my dad nearly had a fit. You should have seen him when I first told him I wanted to move out."

The Japanese girl laughed and started to pick up her luggage, "I can't wait for when my dad finally lets me move out too. That's why I'm so excited to be here. Gets boring around Osaka when all you do is go to school and break up morons who decide to fight in the middle of the street."

Hitomi and Lei had fallen into step with the younger girl as they headed towards the exit, "People just fight in the middle of the street in your hometown?"

Asuka nodded and ran her free hand through her hair exasperatedly, "Like you wouldn't believe…they're not even good competition either. They're all just idiots."

Hitomi and Lei shared another look. It seemed the super cop was right about this girl, she was definitely hot-blooded. She couldn't wait to see Asuka fight…maybe she'd ask her to spar later.

There was a moment of silence before Asuka decided to break it, "So are here for Feng too?"

The German tensed when Asuka had asked the question and she simply nodded, "Thought so."

The two girls set their luggage down as Lei hailed for a cab, "So you're after him too, Asuka?"

The Osakan's fists clenched in anger. Hitomi was glad that someone shared the habit.

"Oh yeah. He did a number on my dad and trashed our dojo."

"Same…" said the karateka solemnly.

Asuka suddenly placed her hand on the older girl's shoulder, surprising her a bit.

"Hey. We'll get him. Or, at least one of us will."

An idea suddenly popped into Hitomi's head and she smirked, "Wanna make it interesting?"

The younger girl lifted her hand and furrowed her brow, "In what way?"

Hitomi pumped her fist, "We'll make it a competition. Out of the two of us, whoever takes out Feng first wins. Simple."

Asuka gave the German a confident smirk, "What does the winner get?"

The older girl stuck out her hand, "Pride?"

The Japanese girl looked down at the red-gloved hand extended to her before shaking it abruptly, "You're on."

"Girls! Let's go!"

Hitomi, Asuka and Lei threw their luggage in the surprisingly spacious trunk of the cab before departing. Lei sat in the front seat while the two girls sat in the back.

"Where we headed today?" asked the cab driver, slight boredom evident in his voice.

Lei took out a small piece of paper, "The Iron Fist Hotel. I think it's a branch of the Mishima Zaibatsu that's been reserved for the tournament fighters."

Light returned to the driver's eyes upon hearing this, "You guys are in the tournament?"

"You bet!" said Asuka, obviously excited.

The driver started up the car, "Well let's go then!"

* * *

The hotel was swarming with people. Hitomi had never seen such a huge crowd before, except for maybe during the last DOA tournament. The trio cautiously left the cab and headed towards the registration line.

There were some…very interesting people in line. The first thing the German noticed was one huge brute of a man that seemed to easily tower over everyone else. He had a really annoying and smug look on his face. The karateka couldn't wait to wipe it off his face.

Lei suddenly nudged her, probably noticing her staring at the man, "That's Craig Marduk. He's a particularly brutal Vale Tudo fighter. Be careful if you get a match with him."

"He looks slow," said a very bored sounding Asuka. Hitomi had to laugh; the girl's confidence was slightly overbearing, but pleasant nonetheless.

"Hey, Lei!"

The trio turned around to see a guy who quite possibly had both the best and worst hairdo Hitomi had ever laid eyes on. One glance at Asuka was all it took to get Hitomi to burst with laughter as well. Lei grinned, knowing exactly why they were laughing so hard.

"Still going with that hairstyle, eh Paul?"

Despite the girls' laughter, Paul Phoenix just smirked confidently.

"The toughest fighter in the universe has to have a memorable look about him, doesn't he? Besides, I've been rockin' my hair like this for as long as I can remember! Anything else just wouldn't feel right."

Having finally recovered from their laughing fit, Hitomi took a moment to wipe her eyes and stuck out her hand.

"Hitomi Heinrich! Great hair, seriously."

Paul accepted the handshake wholeheartedly, "Paul Phoenix. And thanks, I try." He turned to look at Asuka, "You're a new face too. What should I call ya?"

Asuka also seemed to have recovered, though her face was still rather red from laughter, "Asuka. Asuka Kazama."

Paul's eyes widened, "Kazama? Do you know Jin?"

The Osakan scratched the back of her head, "Uh…nope. Doesn't sound familiar. Must just be a coincidence."

The American crossed his arms, "Well, probably better if you don't know him. Kid's seriously a bummer. I ain't ever seen him smile, not once since I met him at the third tournament."

"The third tournament?" asked Hitomi, "I heard he won that one though."

Suddenly Paul tensed up, "Jury's still out on that one, kid."

Lei rolled his eyes, "Paul, have you seen an unfamiliar looking Chinese man here? He probably has a really stern look about him. His name is Feng Wei, if that helps."

The American put his hand on his chin in thought, but shook his head.

"Sorry, ain't ringing' any bells. Looks like I'm up for registration, I'll see you guys at the tournament!"

Paul then pumped his fist and exclaimed, "Osu!" before walking away abruptly.

Hitomi couldn't help but grin widely, "I say that too!"

Asuka rolled her eyes while Lei chuckled. Hitomi blushed, slightly embarrassed.

Once they were all registered, all of the fighters made their way to their hotel rooms. It seemed that everyone had the option of sharing rooms, so Hitomi suggested her and Asuka share a room together, as it could provide them more time to get to know each other. Luckily, the Osakan hadn't protested the idea.

One of the tournament officials explained that matches started tomorrow, and that the traditional introductory banquet was tonight. At the mere mention of free food and dancing, both girls, Hitomi especially, became super excited.

Unfortunately, once they had unpacked all their belongings, Asuka and Hitomi realized that neither of them had packed any kind of formal wear for the night.

"Well that was kind of stupid of us, huh?" said Asuka tiredly.

Hitomi glanced at the clock on the wall. It read 4:15. If they were fast they could probably go grab something to wear quickly.

"The banquet doesn't start until 7:00, Asuka. Let's go see if we can get some clothes for tonight."

Asuka rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "I don't think I can afford to do that."

The German grinned at her, "I've got a fair amount of winnings from DOA. It's no problem!"

The Japanese girl shrugged, "Well if you insist…"

* * *

Luckily for the two fighters, there was a mall only ten minutes away from the Mishima Zaibatsu. While looking for an appropriate store, the girls were engaging in light conversation.

"You know Hitomi, you really don't look half Japanese."

The German laughed, "I inherited my dad's looks, what can I say? My mom doesn't even look like she's part of our family at all, but I love her all the same."

"I wish my eyes were like yours."

The statement caught Hitomi off guard. Asuka had said it so nonchalantly that it just struck her as…strange. Although if she thought back on it, Leifang had once told her the same thing a while back.

"Thanks, but they're nothing special. Almost everyone in Germany has eyes like mine."

"Yeah well mine are all plain and boring so…plus you also have really nice-"

"Hey!"

Hitomi wanted Asuka to finish her thought, but they were interrupted by a voice behind them. When they turned around they saw a rather odd sight. A girl, clad in a pink qipao and white shorts was running up to them. She looked Chinese and had her hair in two pigtails, but the most distinctive feature was what was running beside her – a panda. Not only that, but it seemed as if everyone around them were unfazed by this and thought it was completely normal. Hitomi just stood there wide-eyed.

_Japan's a weird place sometimes…_

Once the girl finally made it to the duo she rested her hands on her knees for a moment to take a breath. She then looked up to the duo with a bright smile on her face. The panda seemed busy poking at the ground beside her.

"You guys are in the tournament right?"

Hitomi had started to recover from the scene in front of her, suddenly remembering that ridiculous dinosaur park she had been in during the 4th Dead or Alive tournament. Suddenly, a panda in a mall didn't seem so strange.

"Uh yeah," she said holding her hand out, "I'm Hitomi and this is Asuka. Pleased to meet you."

The girl took Hitomi's hand and smiled at a still slightly shocked Asuka, "Same here! I'm Ling Xiaoyu, but you can just call me Xiao. Oh, and this is Panda!"

The Panda made some kind of growling sound and gave the girls what Hitomi hoped was her version of a smile, though it looked more like a scowl.

"Well Xiao," said Hitomi quickly, "what can we do for you? Are you in the tournament too?"

Xiao nodded, "Yup! But I…uh, don't really have anything to wear for tonight, so I came here to grab clothes. And then I recognized you guys from registration earlier so I figured I'd say hi!"

Asuka grinned, "That's actually why we're here too. You know a place where we could get something decent to wear?"

The Chinese girl nodded happily, "Totally! Panda and I have been here a bunch of times during the third and fourth tournaments. I know a great place with the cutest party dresses! Let's go!"

Without any warning, Xiao took off throughout the mall leaving the other two girls dumbfounded. Panda made a soft grunting noise and hung her head down while she walked after her. Hitomi had to suppress another laugh at the scene.

"She sure is lively, huh?"

Asuka ran a hand through her hair, "A bit of a handful maybe, but she's alright. C'mon let's catch up to them."

The Osakan started to head in the direction of Xiao and Panda, but the German stopped when she thought she saw someone familiar.

There was a girl, roughly around the same age as her with long auburn hair walking calmly throughout the mall. The two made eye contact for a brief moment and Hitomi was about to call out to her when she heard Asuka's voice.

"Let's go, slowpoke!"

Hitomi turned to her new friend and nodded, then briefly looked back to where the other girl had been.

To her dismay, she had disappeared from sight.

* * *

**A/N: **Things are getting interesting now! (Crossovers are so fun to write! :D)

Also, the "Osu" line was totally essential...obviously. (C'mon both Hitomi and Paul both say it!)


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Another chapter has arrived! I'm really appreciating the fact that you guys are taking time to review my chapters. It helps encourage me to keep writing. I just wish I could thank you all personally in a PM, but unfortunately you're all guests! Anyways, enjoy. This one is a bit longer, as I decided to introduce a couple new themes and story elements. Reviews welcome as always!

* * *

A few blocks away from the Mishima Zaibatsu headquarters stood an unassuming, normal apartment complex. Atop one of the rooftops stood a man, dark skinned and clad in all black. He had very short blonde hair and wore sunglasses that partially concealed his face from the world. Another interesting feature of his visage was the "X" shaped scar that adorned it. The man seemed to be simply staring off into the distance with his arms crossed, when he suddenly lightly pressed his earpiece and awaited a response.

"_What is it, Raven?"_

"I'm being followed."

"_By who?"_

"Not sure. I was expecting the pursuer to be an amateur of sorts, but it seems they're covering their tracks well. I have been able to sense a foreign presence on several occasions though."

There was a silence on the other line for a couple moments before Raven heard his superior's authoritative voice again.

"_Let them come to you."_

Raven grew wide-eyed, "What? Why?"

"_Whoever this pursuer is, they could very well lead you to who is actually running this tournament as well as have connections to G-Corporation. Your orders are to simply continue with your mission until you encounter the individual, and then make them talk."_

Raven sighed, "Understood."

As soon as he pressed his earpiece again, the intelligence agent leapt off the building and vanished.

* * *

"C'mon Hitomi! You're taking forever!"

Asuka gave an annoyed glance over towards an impatient looking Xiaoyu who was tapping her foot quickly with her arms crossed. Both girls were waiting in front of the fitting rooms for the German who was currently battling with the rather tight dress Xiaoyu had picked out for her.

The Osakan too had noticed how small the dress looked when Xiaoyu had picked it out for Hitomi. While the length was somewhat modest, anyone who put the German and the dress together would have been able to tell that it was going to be a rather tight squeeze. Not that Hitomi was too big or anything, quite the opposite in fact. In Asuka's eyes she had a _perfect _body.

_Wait…what?_

"Hey Asuka, can you help me for a sec?"

The Japanese girl shook her head to clear her thoughts as she heard Hitomi's distinct voice, "Huh?"

"I need help zipping this up. It starts really low for some reason!"

Xiaoyu giggled but sat put in her chair, pretending to be preoccupied with Panda. Asuka sighed; she wasn't getting out of this one.

"Kay, coming."

As soon as she stepped into the change room, the Osakan subconsciously sucked in a breath.

Hitomi looked _gorgeous. _

The party dress Xiao had picked out for the German girl was stunning. It was a midnight black variant of a Chinese dress, though slightly shorter, exposing more of Hitomi's fair-skinned legs. The dress was completely sleeveless and had golden designs embroidered on certain parts of it. The other noticeable part of the dress was the small triangular cut out on Hitomi's chest, which slightly exposed some of her cleavage.

The older girl laughed, "This is borderline ridiculous, isn't it?"

Asuka avoided Hitomi's gaze from the mirror by looking for the zipper, "I think you look amazing actually…"

Hitomi scratched her temple sheepishly, "It's not too over-the-top?"

The younger girl finally managed to find the zipper on the German's ridiculous dress, and sure enough it seemed to be unreasonably low. The opening was even slightly exposing the small of Hitomi's back, and Asuka couldn't help but let her eyes linger on the flawless skin there for a couple moments. She felt her face getting hot.

Hitomi pulled her hair over one of her shoulders expectantly, "Is it stuck?"

The German's voice once again broke Asuka from her thoughts and she mentally facepalmed.

_What the hell is going on with me? I barely know her!_

"Uh, yeah. Just a sec, I can get it to co-operate."

The Osakan feigned struggling with the perfectly fine zipper for a few moments, and then eased it up Hitomi's back. She took a moment to recompose herself before making her face visible again to her friend through the mirror.

"All done."

Hitomi finally turned around to the Osakan with a smile on her face, "Thank you. While I definitely don't wear stuff like this often, I gotta admit this thing is surprisingly comfortable. I don't think dancing tonight will be a problem!"

The brunette playfully twirled in the mirror while laughing to herself. Asuka tried to smile to hide the fact that she was swallowing hard at the scene.

"Okay, well…let's go show Xiao."

Hitomi nodded, "Right."

The Chinese girl was nearly falling asleep by the time the two girls exited the fitting room, but refocused once Panda nudged her awake. At the sight of Hitomi, she had to stop herself from tackling the girl to the floor.

"Oh my god, Hitomi! You look beautiful!"

Hitomi stretched out her arms in an attempt to accentuate the dress, "It's not too over-the-top?"

Asuka once again mentally facepalmed at the realization that Hitomi had asked her the same question a few minutes ago and she never answered her. She really needed to get her head together. This feeling felt new to her. Sure, Hitomi was gorgeous, but she was a girl! They were friends! She didn't like her in that way; it just wasn't her.

...Right?

Xiao grabbed Hitomi's hands and nodded furiously, "Not at all! You'll definitely be a star at this banquet, but I bet we can find Asuka something just as stunning."

Asuka sighed inwardly, _I doubt that._

* * *

Raven landed on the roof of the Iron Fist Hotel. He was about to start conducting surveillance on the banquet when something else caught his attention.

That presence…it was here again.

Following through with his superior's orders, the ninja simply stood up straighter and crossed his arms, waiting.

About a minute passed with nothing but silence, but then Raven was able to pick up the faint sound of someone landing behind him. He didn't turn around.

"You've got one minute to explain why you're pursuing me."

"I need your help."

The answer came from a distinctly Japanese and feminine sounding voice. Intrigued slightly, Raven finally decided to turn around and face the woman.

She was clad in some sort of black shinobi outfit that was adorned here and there with small bits of armor that glistened in the moonlight. She had auburn hair that was currently tied into a ponytail with a blue ribbon, and a small short sword was strapped to the small of her back.

The woman then walked up to Raven and extended her hand to him, "Kasumi."

Raven turned back around, obviously uninterested, "I know who you are."

Kasumi sighed and lowered her hand, but didn't move otherwise, "Because of the DOATEC Tri-Tower, right? I have received news recently that you witnessed their fall that night."

The male ninja lowered his arms and faced Kasumi again, "Maybe. Let me guess, you want me to help you find Donovan?"

The redhead nodded once.

Raven began to walk away from her, "Not part of my mission anymore. Get your other ninja friends to help you."

Kasumi ran towards him and grabbed the man's wrist, "They will not help me. They are forbidden to. Please, just hear me out."

Remembering his orders, the man sighed in annoyance. He easily tore his arm out of Kasumi's grasp and went to lean against a nearby billboard.

"Make it quick. I don't have all night."

The kunoichi nodded again, "I know that you are not trying to find Donovan, but the situation requires that I seek out any help that could prove useful and reliable. I was just hoping if you could provide me with a trail."

Raven shrugged, "After the Tri-Tower fell, I received orders to abort my mission on Donovan. Ever since, I've been focused on the Mishima Zaibatsu and G-Corporation. You're not authorized to know anything else. If that's all, I'll be leaving."

Kasumi's eyes widened, "Wait! What If I proposed to help you with your mission?"

The male ninja let out a single, abrupt laugh, "I work alone."

"So do I."

Raven's smirk faded and he quirked an eyebrow, "What are you suggesting, Kasumi?"

Kasumi ran one of her hands through her auburn hair, "I will gather any information I can on any suspicious events going on during this tournament, and then we can meet up and I will reconvene them to you. You can keep me in the dark the whole time if you want, I don't care."

The intelligence agent pushed himself off the billboard, "And what do you want in return?"

"For you to provide me with any information you can concerning Donovan. I know you're holding out on me since you don't trust me."

Raven sighed, "Fine. I will be up here every night at 7:00pm behind this billboard. I will leave exactly at 7:05. That is your time frame to give me any information you discover. Until then, we go our separate ways."

Kasumi bowed slightly, "Thank you…um…"

The male ninja stepped onto the ledge of the building and turned around one last time, "Raven."

With that, he leapt off and vanished once again. Kasumi just sighed before walking off herself.

_I'm going to find you, Donovan._

* * *

"Wow! Look at this place!"

Xiaoyu marveled at the sight of the banquet hall. There were at least 3 chandeliers throughout the entirety of the room, with lavish hardwood flooring on the dance floor and many tables surrounding it. Near the back of the hall was a very long table that held what must have been hundreds of different international cuisines.

The three girls entered together and began looking for a table to claim for their own. After scrutinizing herself for what was at least an hour in the bathroom mirror, Hitomi had decided to stick with the dress Xiaoyu picked out for her, despite it being maybe a little bit on the provocative side. After thinking about what to do with her hair for a good 20 minutes, the brunette had decided to just stick with her pink headband. It was honestly her favourite look on her, and Asuka didn't protest the idea.

Asuka's opinion mattered more to the German for some reason. Maybe it was just because excluding Lei, she and Xiao were her only real friends here since arriving this afternoon. Yeah, that had to be it.

Speaking of the Osakan, she was also in a remarkably similar dress to Hitomi. During their visit to the clothing store, Asuka had scoffed at the very idea of wearing the same dress as the older girl for some reason. Hitomi didn't understand why, since she looked beautiful in her own right. Asuka's dress was almost identical to the German's except that it was cobalt instead of black, though it still had the golden designs embroidered on it. Unlike Hitomi, Asuka had decided to change her hair, though it wasn't anything elegant per say – just a simple short ponytail that took her bangs out of her face and brought out her eyes.

Hitomi didn't think anything else needed to be done to be honest.

Xiaoyu had decided not to bring Panda, thinking that as well mannered as her pet may have been, she just didn't really belong at these types of things. That had been the arrangement in the past and Panda never really had a problem with it. Besides, it'd be better if she didn't run into Kuma…

The Chinese girl had decided on a more formal version of the qipao she was wearing at the mall, though it was orange instead of pink. She didn't have her shorts on underneath, but the dress was longer so it didn't give anything away. In regards to her hair, Xiao had surprisingly decided to keep it in its regular pigtails.

Overall, the 3 girls felt comfortable for the most part and ready to socialize.

"Well, don't you girls look stunning tonight."

The girls turned to see a blonde man around Hitomi's age grinning at them. He was wearing a waistcoat, dress shirt and dress pants, but had no jacket or tie on and his shirt was slightly unbuttoned. His blonde hair was slicked back out of his face and his sleeves were rolled up to his mid-forearm. Hitomi noticed what appeared to be part of a large scar peeking out of his sleeve on his right arm. She also noticed that he was…rather handsome. She couldn't find a flaw in his face if she tried.

Xiaoyu gave the man a quick hug which he returned, "Hey, Steve!"

The Chinese girl then turned to her two friends, "Girls, this is Steve Fox. British, charming and single." She winked with the last word.

Steve rubbed the back of his head awkwardly for a minute but then shook it off and offered his hand, "A pleasure, ladies. Might I ask your names?"

Hitomi took his hand first, "Hitomi Heinrich! This is my first time in the tournament. Oh and thanks for the compliment! You…look good too."

The German tried to hide her blush as Xiaoyu giggled. Asuka just looked annoyed but took the Brit's hand regardless.

"Asuka Kazama. And no I'm not related to that Jin guy, since that seems to be the first thing everyone's asking me."

Xiaoyu's eyes widened, "What? You're a Kazama? So you know-"

The Chinese girl stopped herself after repeating what Asuka just said in her mind. She blushed in embarrassment.

"Um, I'm gonna go grab something to drink! Do any of you want anything?"

"Scotch, if you wouldn't mind that is," said Steve politely.

Hitomi thought about it for a minute. Matches started tomorrow, but it wasn't like one drink would leave her feeling awful the next morning. Besides she felt like she needed to loosen up a bit, especially in this dress.

"Um…I think I'll have a vodka sour."

Xiao nodded then turned to Asuka, "How about you, pretty lady?"

The Osakan shrugged, "Maybe just a ginger ale I guess."

Steve smiled at her as Xiaoyu happily skipped away, "Staying on the safe tonight are we?"

"Can't drink. Not old enough," said Asuka simply as she looked towards Hitomi, "Surprised you are though. Don't go too crazy now."

Hitomi winked at her friend, "I'll try not to, but no promises!"

The Japanese girl smirked, internally wondering if Hitomi was only half joking.

"Anyways," Steve cleared his throat, "I just wanted to invite you girls to my table over there. I believe you already know Lei."

Hitomi glanced over to the table where the Brit was pointing and spotting her Chinese detective. He was grinning widely and waving them over. The German suspected he might be a bit tipsy already. She also noticed Paul, who was still rocking that same hair style, and another guy beside him with a handlebar mustache. The last guy looked to be around the same age as Paul, though he was more lean compared to the blonde.

"Sure," Hitomi nodded, "Let's go!"

The older girl tugged on Asuka's wrist as she led them to the table. Everybody exchanged their pleasantries, and the guy beside Paul presented his hand to Hitomi and Asuka.

"Marshall Law! Nice to meet you, girls. No offense, but I'll be taking the prize money this year."

Asuka crossed her arms, neglecting the handshake after Hitomi had accepted it, "We'll see buddy. We'll see."

Hitomi put her hand on her chin, "You remind me of someone, Marshall."

The Chinese-American leaned back in his seat and put his hands behind his head, "Oh? Who would that be, Hitomi?"

"This guy named Jann-Lee. He beat me in the last Dead or Alive Tournament."

"So he's the dude who ended up winning then?" Asked Asuka, slightly interested.

Hitomi sighed and nodded once, "Yeah…"

"Had to have been a fluke, obviously!" Lei announced before finishing his drink.

Paul patted the German on the back, "Chin up, kid. Can't win 'em all. Look, you ain't gotta worry about Marshall here. I'll be takin' him out myself."

"You wish, Paul! My wonton soup is the only thing that's gonna be able to go through your face when I'm done with you!"

"What was that?!"

The two guys stood up and glared at each other while Lei facepalmed. Hitomi and Asuka just laughed.

"Hey," said the German after a moment, "Why don't we all go dance for a bit? Xiao's taking forever with our drinks anyway…"

Unbeknownst to everyone, Xiaoyu had gotten distracted when getting her friends' drinks. On her way to the bar, she noticed someone in the corner of the room watching her. Thinking that it might have been Jin, Xiao raced to catch up to them, but the figure disappeared when she got close. Furrowing her brow in confusion, she eventually made her way back to the bar, shaking off the feeling.

Kasumi peered back into the banquet hall from the behind a pillar. She had almost been caught and the tournament hadn't even started yet! She sighed inwardly and started to make her way out of the room.

_Working from the shadows isn't going to work, _she thought with frustration.

_I'm going to have to enter the tournament._

* * *

**A/N: **I've decided to split the banquet into two chapters, just because it's turning out to be longer than I anticipated. Stay tuned and remember to review as always :)


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Again, thanks to everyone for the amazing reviews. It means so much that you're all taking your time out to leave feedback as I go to school for creative writing. This provides good practice ;) Anyway, here's another chapter. This one's a bit shorter but I always just end a chapter when I feel it needs to be ended and don't pay attention to the length. Enjoy!

* * *

Xiaoyu finally returned to the table just as everyone was getting up to hit the dance floor, so Hitomi, Asuka and Steve decided to hold off for a bit and sat back down. The Chinese girl wasn't alone either; beside her stood some red-headed guy who looked slightly uncomfortable in the dress shirt he was wearing. The man was holding two drinks and he promptly approached Hitomi and offered one to her.

"You the one who wanted the vodka sour?"

The brunette nodded and accepted it as she sat back down with the others, "Yeah, thank you! I'm Hitomi."

The red-head shrugged as he sat down on the other side of Asuka, "China girl's only got so many hands. I'm Hwoarang. Never seen either of you around these tournaments before. Why you here?"

Xiao grimaced, "Don't call me China girl..."

Asuka grinned, "We're both here to settle a score. I'm Asuka by the way."

Hwoarang took a sip of his drink before returning the Osakan's grin, "I'm here for that reason too. I ain't stopping in this tournament until I kick Kazama's ass back to Yakushima."

"Can we not talk about this…" said an exasperated Xiaoyu.

"You talking about that Jin guy?" inquired Hitomi.

The Korean nodded while smirking, "Who else?"

Hitomi and Steve both grinned and looked towards Asuka. The Osakan facepalmed.

"Here we go…" said Asuka in an annoyed tone.

Hwoarang's eyes widened, "You're a Kazama? Interesting…so tell me, does angst-ridden brooding run in the family?"

Asuka shook her head, clearly annoyed, "We're not related, though I can't say I mind based on what I've heard of him so far."

The German nodded in agreement, "Yeah, he doesn't sound fun to be around."

Xiaoyu suddenly slammed one of her hands on the table abruptly, causing the others to look at her in mild shock.

"He is fun to be around! Or at least…he was, but Jin's just been through a lot of stuff lately so he's kind of changed a bit…"

Steve's shocked look wore off quickly, as if he was used to seeing this kind of behavior from the Chinese girl.

"I don't care what he's been through; it wouldn't kill you to bloody smile once in a while."

Hwoarang shrugged, "It might; I mean this _is_ Kazama we're talking about."

At the Korean's statement, Xiaoyu just huffed, chugged the rest of her drink and headed to the dance floor.

The red-head nervously rubbed the back of his head as everyone watched her leave, "…Yikes."

While Steve, Hwoarang and Asuka laughed, Hitomi felt slight pity for Xiao.

She knew what it was like to know someone like Jin. Hitomi had found that person in who was now known as Hayate. Though she had fallen in love with Ein 3 years ago, she had to learn the hard way that he was no more. It still hurt sometimes when Hitomi looked back on their time together, but Hayate didn't forget Hitomi so she had started trying to learn to accept him for who he really was in return.

Still, as soon as Hitomi found out that her crush was actually a ninja, she knew that any hope of them being together was gone forever. That was probably the worst she'd ever felt, but she had slowly come to terms with it, and was now happy to say that she and Hayate were simply good friends.

Like siblings almost.

* * *

Kasumi leaned back against the pillar and furrowed her brow in thought.

Jin Kazama…the name didn't sound familiar, but based on the conversation she had just eavesdropped on, this man sounded like a good person to start her investigation with. There was a chance he could be connected to the Mishimas – another thing the kunoichi was going to try and gather more information on.

As soon as Kasumi remembered hearing the news of Heihachi Mishima's death, she decided that the best information she'd be able to gather would be based on who was running this current tournament – since Heihachi was usually the one to host them. If she could figure that out, she knew she'd have a reliable piece of information to relay to Raven.

Silently, Kasumi made her way out of the banquet hall and back to the lobby of the hotel. She needed to register in the tournament so that she could get closer to this Jin character. She quickly began looking around for the front desk…

…and that was when she ran into someone.

A bit startled, the kunoichi slightly bowed, "Forgive me for running into you."

"If you aren't naturally aware of your surroundings, you'll never survive in a fight. Leave."

"I'm sor-", Kasumi wasn't able to finish her sentence as the man had already left her standing there as he made his way into the banquet hall. She thought it was slightly rude but shrugged it off. She was more interested in the incredibly strong aura she felt from him as he left her.

The man's voice sounded very distinct and heavy. It was almost…dark if that made sense. Glancing at his retreating figure, Kasumi made a mental note to make sure she ran into him in the future.

There was definitely something…unnatural about him.

* * *

The upbeat songs provided a good atmosphere for dancing. Asuka couldn't help but laugh every time she compared Paul's dancing to Hitomi's; his moves rivaled the ridiculousness of his hair, while Hitomi was actually a decent dancer. The Osakan found herself mesmerized by her friend's movements, especially since the German's dress wasn't leaving anything to the imagination.

Asuka also noticed Steve watching Hitomi with a slight smile, which soon disappeared when the Osakan sent him a death glare. The Brit shrugged and left the dance floor, going towards the food. Asuka decided to follow him.

"Something wrong back there?" asked Steve as he began loading up his plate.

Asuka tensed up as she went to grab her own plate, "Don't get any ideas. She's not interested."

Again Steve shrugged nonchalantly, "I was just admiring her dancing. I would never think of charming a woman who was already taken."

The Osakan nodded hesitantly as she finished up gathering her food, "Well…good. Cause she is. She's got a guy back home; told me all about him."

It was a lie, and Asuka had no idea what made her do it. She had just subconsciously dug herself into a hole for no reason, just because Steve was making eyes at Hitomi? Why did she do that?

_Why was she being overprotective?_

"So," began Steve as they sat back down at the table, "who's the lucky guy?"

Asuka scratched the back of her head nervously, "Uh…it's not my place to tell you. She doesn't want a lot of people knowing because I think they might be going through a bit of a rough patch. So don't go tellin' people ya hear?"

The Brit nodded as he began eating, "My lips are sealed."

The Japanese girl mentally sighed in relief.

_Well at least that's over with for now._

* * *

Hitomi was enjoying her time on the dance floor, but in the back of her mind she remembered to keep a vigilant look out for anyone who could possibly be Feng Wei. Everyone around seemed harmless enough; she recognized the people from her table, as well as that Marduk guy. There was also a blonde woman leaning against a wall who look incredibly bored, and some guy in a jaguar mask sitting next to a polite looking brunette with two long braided plaits. The guy in the mask seemed to be glaring at Marduk, or at least Hitomi had to assume so since his fists were clenched rather hard even though she couldn't see his face. The brunette beside him just rubbed his arm with concern.

Marduk on the other hand didn't seem to recognize the masked man, as he was instead busy shamelessly flirting with another brunette woman. This woman looked slightly older than Hitomi and was a bit more…voluptuous. She appeared to want nothing to do with the huge man however and brushed him off abruptly. Hitomi noticed the blonde woman on the wall slightly laugh at the scene.

They all looked like interesting people and good fighters for the most part, but none of them looked like they could be Feng. Hitomi groaned inwardly, knowing that he probably wasn't going to show – she'd have to wait to confront the Chinese man at the tournament.

Just then however, the German noticed a man walk in who looked rather interesting. His black hair was styled in a ducktail and he had on a full suit as opposed to most of the other guys. The suit was a deep purple colour, and on the man's hands were red studded gloves. It was like this guy didn't want to put his guard down for even a second – maybe he wasn't necessarily liked by the other contestants and was expecting a fight.

And sure enough, with another look around Hitomi noticed that most people, especially Xiao, had stopped dancing and were glaring at this new fighter. He seemed completely unfazed by this and continued on his way to the bar to grab a glass of wine.

"Hey," Hitomi walked up to Xiao, "who's that guy?"

Xiaoyu had her teeth clenched and her fists tightened, "Kazuya."

"So what's his deal?"

The Chinese girl relaxed a bit before sighing in defeat and heading back to their table. Hitomi followed her there.

"He's Jin's dad…" said Xiao solemnly.

Hitomi glanced back at Kazuya, who was now sitting at a lone table and smirking at the fact that the entire banquet hall had suddenly developed a rather awkward atmosphere.

"People really don't seem to like him."

"Well he is Father of the Year, y'know," said Hwoarang sarcastically as he returned to their table.

The German furrowed her brow in confusion, "Well what did he do to Jin?"

Asuka nodded, "Yeah, what makes him so bad anyway? I'm interested to know how bad a fellow Kazama could really be, even if we aren't related."

Xiaoyu nearly choked on her food, "He's not a Kazama! He's a Mishima…"

Hitomi's eyes widened, "Seriously? Is he related to Heihachi?"

"Yep. He's his son. Just as ruthless too," said Lei, who had seemed to sober up a bit from dancing.

Steve put his hand on his chin in though, "But wouldn't that mean he's the new leader of the Zaibatsu?"

The detective shook his head, "He's not, I've looked into it already. He must be here to try and get it back from whoever seized control after Heihachi died."

"I don't care about any of that," said Xiao, apparently fuming again, "I just know that Jin's the way he is now because of him and Heihachi! Something happened in the fourth tournament last year, I just know it!"

Hwoarang shrugged, "Of course something happened, but what can we do about it? Past is past, can't change it."

At this, the Chinese girl suddenly smirked and let out a small giggle, much to the confusion of everyone else.

Suddenly Asuka's eyes widened and she pointed across the room, "Guys, he's coming this way."

Sure enough, Kazuya Mishima was making his way towards the group's table. The smirk hadn't left his face, and some people were still glaring at him from different corners of the room.

"We wouldn't be talking about me, would we?"

Everyone was silent for a moment before Lei spoke up, "Kazuya. Glad to see you made it out of that explosion alive."

The Mishima crossed his arms, "Detective Wulong. It's been a while, seeing as I didn't see you in the last tournament. Knocked out too early probably."

Lei shrugged, "I was just avoiding you."

Kazuya ignored him and scanned the rest of the people at the table until his eyes fell on Xiaoyu. His smirk widened.

"If it isn't my pathetic son's hopeless admirer. Shouldn't you just give up already? You know he can't love anything anymore. Not like it matters, love is a petty emotion."

Xiaoyu noticeably tensed up in anger, "Like you would know."

Kazuya snorted in disgust, "Hmph. You're just as pathetic as Jin. Maybe you two do belong together after all."

The Chinese girl's fists were clenched so tight that they were beet red, "Just…SHUT UP!"

"Leave her alone."

Everyone turned around at the new voice. It sounded incredibly soft, which only added to more confusion when everyone noticed who had spoken.

"…Jin?"

* * *

**A/N: **Tsk tsk, Asuka. Don't you be messing with Hitomi's love life now! And yeah, I figured I'd finally add Jin to this little story. Stay tuned for the next update!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** You didn't really think I'd keep you waiting on a cliffhanger like that for so long did you? Review review review!

* * *

That atmosphere was awkward. Really awkward.

For what seemed like hours (but was probably only a minute or so at most), no one said anything. Kazuya's mild surprise had since faded at seeing the figure of his son in front of him and he crossed his arms smugly again.

Jin's outfit was a stark contrast to everyone else's. He was wearing a simple training jacket with the hood up along with matching pants and red gloves that somewhat resembled his father's. It looked as if he hadn't been planning to show up to the banquet tonight and had instead been at the gym.

Finally, Kazuya decided to break the extremely intense atmosphere.

"Hello, son. So nice of you to join us."

Jin didn't even move at all, not even a twitch, "Don't call me that."

The Mishima let out a small dark chuckle, "Trust me, it didn't feel good."

Jin didn't say anything to this and the area once again settled into an uncomfortable silence. Hitomi cautiously looked around the rest of the hall. Strangely, there was no one else there; everyone had apparently decided to leave once they saw Kazuya and Jin in the same room.

She didn't blame them honestly. The tension here was almost unbearable.

"Jin-" Xiao began, but she was cut off suddenly by Kazuya.

"You know, I heard that a large portion of a forest in Yakushima was completely destroyed recently..."

The Mishima leaned forward a bit in his son's face with another smirk, "...happen to know anything about that?"

Despite their now closer proximity to one another, Jin's stoic demeanor hadn't left his face. Hitomi noticed that his fists were clenched, however.

After a moment, the Kazama crossed his arms as well, "We will finish this 'discussion' once the tournament actually starts. I told you to leave Xiao alone, now go."

Kazuya let out a single abrupt laugh and turned around, but didn't leave yet. Instead, he looked back to the Chinese girl, who looked to be a strange mix of angry and relieved that Jin was there.

"Remember what I said about love, girl. It's pointless."

He looked over his shoulder back at his son, "As for you, I'll be taking what's rightfully mine soon enough."

With that, Kazuya walked away smugly and disappeared back into the hotel. Almost immediately, the tension around the table lifted.

Jin sighed heavily, and then turned to his old friend from school with a stern expression on his face. He didn't seem to even notice that other people were at the table.

"This tournament will be dangerous Xiao. You must leave."

Xiaoyu shook her head immediately, "No way! I can hold my own, Jin. Besides, I have a plan that is going to solve everything!"

Jin looked back in the direction his father walked away, "There is no way to solve anything. There is only one option for my cursed blood."

"Hey Kazama, don't forget about our rematch." said a determined Hwoarang.

Ignoring the Korean completely, the Kazama made his way out of the banquet hall to an unknown destination. Xiao stood up to follow him but Asuka grabbed her wrist.

"Don't. It looks like the guy has serious family issues, plus I don't think he wants anyone around him right now."

Hitomi put a hand on her chin, "Cursed blood?"

Lei shrugged, "I've heard the term thrown around by him before in the previous tournament, but I have no idea what he means by it. Any of you got any ideas?"

Everyone else at the table either shrugged or shook their heads.

Asuka sighed, "Look, let him deal with this crap alone. He obviously doesn't want help...he's independent, like me!"

Steve chuckled, "Sort of looks like you too, now that I think about it. You sure you guys aren't related?"

The Osakan dropped her head in her hands and sighed in exasperation, "Even if he _was_ some kind of distant relative, who cares? Why is it such a big deal?"

Hitomi placed a hand on Asuka's shoulder, startling her a bit. The German was looking at her with sympathy with those big, blue eyes. The younger girl found herself slightly lost in them, but recovered quickly.

"You could be the only normal family he has left, Asuka. If it's at all possible, maybe you should try and get to know him a little, or at least understand him..."

Hwoarang laughed loudly, "Kazama? You'd have more luck understanding King."

Steve and Lei chuckled lightly, but the other two girls didn't get the joke. Hitomi figured they would eventually.

The German lifted her hand and Asuka crossed her arms, "Ugh, fine. But don't expect any results."

Hitomi gave her a genuine smile. The older girl knew how important family was, especially since she was an only child. After the encounter that just occurred with Jin and Kazuya, she suddenly felt intense pity for the Kazama. She had never felt luckier to have two loving parents.

Of course, this lead to the thought of her father's current state, and her anger decided to re-surface.

"I need to find Feng..." Hitomi muttered in an annoyed tone.

Hwoarang quirked his eyebrow, "Who is this Feng dude you keep mentioning?"

Lei shook his head, "A fighter in the tournament. He's also a new face, and he's bad news. He put both Asuka and Hitomi's fathers in the hospital."

The Korean instantly scowled, "What an asshole...now_ I_ want to pummel him!"

Asuka clenched her fist in anger, "Just be sure to save some for us if we don't get to him first."

Hitomi gave the Japanese girl a smirk, remembering their bet.

* * *

After a long and interesting night, both Asuka and Hitomi instantly agreed to get some rest. As they walked back up to the hotel room, Hitomi noticed something down the hall...

It was her again - the auburn-haired girl. This time, the German was sure the other girl didn't see her, but she had disappeared too quickly for Hitomi to follow her as she rounded the corner of the hallway.

When Hitomi saw her at the mall, she only had a sneaking suspicion, but the glance she just got definitely confirmed it – that was Kasumi.

But why? Why was the kunoichi here? Was she alone? And if she wasn't, was Hayate with her? Or Ayane perhaps?

"You just gonna stand there?"

Hitomi was broken out of her thoughts as she noticed Asuka standing in the doorway of their room expectantly. She laughed.

"Sorry, I just thought I noticed someone over there."

Her friend nodded as she closed their door, "Friend of yours?"

Hitomi kicked off her rather uncomfortable shoes and flopped down on one of the queen beds, "You could say that. I don't really know her, but she was in a previous DOA tournament with me. We also took a vacation together. Two, actually."

The German smiled at the thought of Zack Island. Sure, Zack was _really _creepy, but the island was one of the most luxurious experiences she'd ever had. While she loved Germany with all her heart, there was simply nothing that could have compared to that little trip. It almost seemed like a passing dream both times she'd been there.

Asuka had fallen onto the adjoining bed and took her hair out of her ponytail before relaxing a bit with her hands behind her head. She was looking at the ceiling absentmindedly while she twiddled her toes. Hitomi found the sight endearing and she grinned slightly.

The younger girl suddenly furrowed her brow in confusion, "You went on a vacation with this girl twice and you barely know her? Geez, hope I'm that lucky."

Asuka winked at Hitomi and she just laughed. The Osakan was clearly in a better mood than she had been at the banquet, and the older girl couldn't help but wonder if it was because they were away from the others.

...Or maybe it was just the comfort of the bed. Yeah, that was more likely.

Hitomi took her hair band out of her brown locks and ran one of her hands through her hair, massaging her scalp with it.

"It wasn't just me and her. There were other girls there too, pretty much the entirety of the females who competed in the tournament. It was awesome; we all got to just walk around all day in swimsuits that could be as skimpy as we wanted, since there were no creepy guys there to be well...creepy."

Asuka had to stop herself from drooling at the mental image of Hitomi in a swimsuit...a "skimpy" swimsuit at that. As much as she tried to get her mind to go somewhere else, it didn't listen and she had to once again fight to keep her face from blushing.

"I think I'll take a shower and then call it a night," announced Asuka aprubtly, pushing herself off the bed.

Hitomi immediately jumped up as well, "Wait!"

"Huh?"

"We need to get each other out of these clothes."

Asuka's eyes widened, "...come again?"

The German placed her hands on her hips, "I'm a lot of things, but unnaturally flexible isn't one of them. You need to zip me down, and I have to do the same thing to you. How else were you expecting to get out of that thing?"

The younger girl gave Hitomi a confused look, "But it'll be easier to zip down once you get it started. It's easier to...bend that way."

"But you said the zipper was a bit finicky in the dressing room, remember? Not taking any chances!"

Asuka mentally groaned, "Fine, just turn around."

Hitomi shrugged, not knowing what the big deal was. It wasn't like she asked her friend to give her a kidney. She turned around and once again brought her hair over her left shoulder.

As soon as she had started easing Hitomi's zipper down, Asuka once again felt herself getting a bit warm.

Hitomi's back was glistening with sweat, and the familiar aroma engulfed the Osakan's nostrils and slightly clouded her senses. She swallowed hard, letting out a heavy breath she didn't know she'd been holding at the sight.

The German suddenly flinched, "Brr! What was that for?"

Asuka couldn't help but laugh a little, "I...thought it'd be funny. And it was."

"...jerk."

After taking longer than the process should have been, the girls switched roles. Asuka felt Hitomi's fingers graze her skin lightly as she worked the zipper slowly. She couldn't help but blush a little and was very glad her friend couldn't see her face.

Unbeknownst to the Japanese girl, Hitomi's face was much redder than hers at that moment.

* * *

Kasumi sat down on the bed in her hotel room in deep thought. There were many things engulfing her mind at the moment, and she was actually grateful for that – more things to think about meant more information for Raven, which hopefully meant being one step closer to Donovan.

Kasumi had re-entered the banquet hall secretly after registering in the tournament, with the intention of greeting Hitomi. The kunoichi was surprised to see the German girl's name on the registration list, but sighed in relief knowing that a familiar face would be present.

She was stopped from seeing the karateka however when she almost walked in on the confrontation between Jin Kazama and the man she had bumped into before – Kazuya Mishima.

The meeting was very intense to say the least, but Kasumi had gathered a few bits of important information. She now knew that Jin was Kazuya's son, and was able to feel the same foreign aura radiating from him as well. She also recalled an incident regarding a forest in Yakushima being discussed briefly, and caught the fact that Kazuya was implying Jin had something to do with it. Perhaps Raven knew more on that matter...

The last thing she recognized was that although Jin seemed unwilling to be around anyone, he seemed to hold a bit of a soft spot for the Chinese girl that Kazuya was tormenting. Perhaps it would be in the kunoichi's best interest to befriend her...

Kasumi realized that her promise to help Raven wasn't likely to be a quick task. This could likely be a bigger commitment than she realized...

...but it didn't matter. If it meant getting a lead on Donovan, it was worth it. Besides, making some more friends during the ordeal couldn't hurt.

* * *

Jin punched the wall of the abandoned ruins he was currently residing in. It was a strange place that looked like the remnants of an old castle from back in the day. The moonlight was clearly visible and shone brightly towards the adjacent fields.

The place was incredibly serene.

The Kazama was registered in the tournament, but he simply didn't feel comfortable in the hotel. There were too many people there that he knew personally.

He couldn't allow himself to be close to anyone anymore...not after Yakushima.

Kazuya knew. Of course he did; he was the only one who could possibly understand what happened. Sure, maybe people had seen the destruction on the news, but no one had known what had caused it.

Jin didn't even remember until he pieced it together later the next morning.

It was the devil gene. He had lost complete control for the first time, and his demonic persona had completely demolished a large portion of an entire forest as a result.

It was quite possibly the scariest realization Jin had ever had, and this was after being shot in the head by Heihachi. He had lost control then as well, but somehow managed to recover. This time however, he had completely succumbed to the devil's influence.

The answer lied in the tournament. Whoever was running the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5 was behind what caused him to turn after Honmaru – he was determined to find answers.

And no one, not even Kazuya, was going to get in his way.

* * *

**A/N:** If you've played Tekken Tag Tournament 2, you'll know that Moonlit Wilderness (Which is where the scene with Jin takes place) is actually in the U.K, but for the purposes of this story its going to be in Japan. It's a minor detail, but I just thought I'd clarify. Remember to review guys! And recommend this story to your friends if you want, the more the merrier! Until next time!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Hello everyone! Thanks again for the kind reviews as always, you all rock! Anyways, I'm going to start naming my chapters now, as the tournament will officially begin in the next chapter. I had to use this chapter as filler so that you guys all know how I'm planning to format the story. Remember to review!

* * *

**Chapter 8 - Day 1: Tournament Announcements and Preparations**

The next morning, all of the fighters were summoned to the spacious lobby of the hotel to discuss the layout of the tournament and the matches. As soon as Asuka and Hitomi had gotten ready and made their way down to the lobby, Xiaoyu had skipped up to them. The Chinese girl was alone, to the slight surprise of the two other girls.

"Xiao, where's Panda?" Hitomi asked, looking around for her friend's pet and bodyguard.

"Well," the girl crossed her arms, "we decided beforehand that Panda would only join the tournament with me if Kuma entered, but it doesn't look like he's here so she decided to stay on the sidelines this time."

Asuka scratched her head, "Who's Kuma exactly?"

Xiao shook her head and rolled her eyes at the same time, "This bear that's got the hots for Panda. He's so persistent and annoying! I'm really glad he's not here..."

Hitomi and Asuka shared a look before they busted out laughing. Xiao looked confused, but before she could question them a voice caught the attention of everyone.

"May I have everyone's attention, please?"

Hitomi turned around with the other fighters to the direction of the voice. She also took a quick glance at her competition, seeing all the faces from the banquet last night. This included an expressionless Jin near the back of the room, and a smug Kazuya near the front. Both men had their arms crossed.

This also included Kasumi. The kunoichi was standing in the middle of the room in a simple pair of dark blue jeans and a pink blouse. She finally made eye contact with Hitomi and gave her a nod of recognition and a smile before turning her attention back to the front. The German would have spoken to her then, but everyone was now listening to the man at the front of the room. Hitomi turned as well, not trusting herself to look for Feng at that moment – she might not be able to control herself if she saw him.

The man who had spoken was a lanky individual in a suit who had a slight comb over and black-framed glasses. He was standing in front of a podium, and beside him on the wall was a rather large screen that was currently blank. Everyone looked at him expectantly until he spoke again.

"Thank you," the man began, "My name is Norio Nakahara. I am the head of the tournament officials for the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5, under direct instructions from the current head of the Mishima Zaibatsu."

"And who would that be?" asked a bored Kazuya.

Norio shook his head, "I'm afraid he wishes to remain anonymous for the time being. But don't worry, if you are good enough you will face him at the end of the tournament. And speaking of the tournament..."

The official turned on the big screen with the small converter in his hand, and the screen next to him suddenly sprung to life. After a moment, a large flow chart of sorts showed up. The chart consisted of seven different categories which from top to bottom read:

_**Day 1 – Preliminaries (Group 1)**_

_**Day 2 – Preliminaries (Group 2)**_

_**Day 3 – Break **_

_**Day 4 – Round of 16**_

_**Day 5 – Quarter Finals**_

_**Day 6 – Semi Finals**_

_**Day 7 – Finals**_

_**Day 8 – Fight for the Zaibatsu**_

Hitomi's eyes widened at the last line of the chart. She had no idea that she could actually win control over the Mishima Zaibatsu! She was expecting prize money and recognition, but never an actual company...she wasn't sure how she felt about that, but it sure was a lot of pressure. At least everyone else must have felt it too...

Norio cleared his throat, regaining everyone's attention, "As you can all see, the structure of the tournament is pretty straightforward and will take place over the course of 8 days. After looking over the registration list, we have determined that there are 32 of you in total."

The head official paused and pressed a button on his converter again and the screen changed to a simple list of 8 names. He then continued his explanation.

"The officials have all taken the liberty of finding 8 suitable areas for matches to take place throughout Tokyo. One such area lies here within the Zaibatsu. Certain matches will only take place during certain times of the day, and some areas that you will fight in will not allow audiences, while others will."

Hitomi looked at the names of the 8 designated "arenas". They all sounded rather interesting:

_**Zaibatsu Arena**_

_**Moonlit Wilderness**_

_**Crimson Sunset**_

_**Urban Jungle**_

_**Waterfall**_

_**Poolside**_

_**Secret Garden**_

_**Dragon's Nest**_

Once again, Norio cleared his throat as the fighters took in the names of the arenas, "As you probably guessed, the Zaibatsu Arena is the area that is already stationed here in the Zaibatsu. For every other arena, the fighters who are scheduled to have a match there will receive directions there and a certain time to arrive. If you do not show up on time for your match, you will be disqualified."

Paul groaned, "Can we just move on to the match ups already?! I already know all this. Ain't my first time here y'know..."

Asuka elbowed him in the ribs, causing the blonde to wince, "But it's me and Hitomi's, so shut it."

The German giggled a bit as Paul quieted down. She heard Kasumi let out a tiny giggle as well, and noticed that blonde woman from the banquet roll her eyes.

Norio adjusted his tie a bit as he watched the little scene play out, "Moving on. As I mentioned before, there are only 8 arenas and 32 contestants, meaning that the preliminary rounds will be split into two days with two groups of 16. Group 1 will be competing today, while Group 2 will be competing tomorrow. The following will be the match ups for Group 1..."

Everyone suddenly tensed in anticipation as Norio pressed the button on his converter for a third time. After a moment, the screen changed and most people instantly crowded around it. Hitomi's face dropped as she gazed at it:

**Match-Ups for Day 1 – Preliminaries (Group 1)**

_Match 1 (9:00AM) – Craig Marduk vs. Anna Williams – Zaibatsu Arena_

_Match 2 (11:00AM) – Wang Jinrei vs. Raven – Waterfall_

_Match 3 (1:00PM) – Paul Phoenix vs. Ganryu – Poolside_

_Match 4 (3:00PM) – Marshall Law vs. Lili Rochefort – Dragon's Nest_

_Match 5 (5:00PM) – Yoshimitsu vs. Kasumi – Secret Garden_

_Match 6 (7:00PM) – Nina Williams vs. Lee Chaolan – Crimson Sunset_

_Match 7 (9:00PM) – Feng Wei vs. Eddy Gordo – Urban Jungle_

_Match 8 (11:00PM) – Mokujin vs. Asuka Kazama – Moonlit Wilderness_

"Who the hell is Mokujin?" asked a confused Asuka.

Xiaoyu's eyes widened, "Grandpa's in this tournament?! He's so old!"

Marduk grinned, "Oh, she'll learn never to blow me off again..."

"Mr. Paul Phoenix stands between me and my precious Julia!" said a rather flamboyant sumo wrestler.

The girl with the two brown plaits suddenly looked around in confusion, "Did someone say my name?"

While most people were speaking amongst each other about their upcoming matches, Hitomi's eyes were still glued to the screen.

Feng Wei's match was at 9:00PM in the Urban Jungle. She needed to be there as well to watch the fight. As much as she didn't want to picture what happened to her dad, if Hitomi wanted to beat this guy later in the tournament then watching him fight was essential. It wasn't like she had a match today anyway...

...which slightly annoyed her, by the way.

Kasumi meanwhile was also glued to the screen in thought.

_Jin and Kazuya are both not fighting today...and Yoshimitsu...where have I heard that name before?_

As everyone finally began to disperse to get ready for a day that was sure to bring much excitement, Kasumi finally decided to approach Hitomi. The German was currently talking to Xiaoyu and Asuka, the latter of which appeared to still be confused about her opponent tonight.

"...Isn't that the name given to those training dummies?" asked an amused Hitomi.

Asuka tilted her head and looked unimpressed, "Yeah, Hitomi, cause that makes a lot of sense for a match in the friggin' King of Iron Fist Tournament."

Xiaoyu put her hand on her chin in thought, "I remember hearing something about a training dummy coming to life back in the third tournament, but I thought it was just a silly rumour Paul was passing around."

The Osakan threw her face in her hands, "You can't be serious..."

"Excuse me."

The three girls turned around at the sound of the distinctly soft and polite voice. Not surprisingly, Hitomi noticed it was Kasumi. Without further ado, the German wrapped up the kunoichi in a short embrace before smiling at her.

"About time you decided to say hello!"

Kasumi bowed, "My apologies, Hitomi. I had some other things to attend to last night, so I couldn't make it to the banquet. It is good to see you."

Hitomi nodded as she released her, "It's okay. Kasumi, this is Asuka and Ling Xiaoyu. They're both in the tournament with me. Asuka's fighting tonight actually."

The redhead once again bowed politely to the other girls, "Pleased to meet you. And good luck on your match tonight!"

Asuka grinned, "Thanks, but I don't need it."

The Osakan then turned to her two friends, "Anyways, I better get to the gym in this hotel...wherever it is..."

Kasumi suddenly perked up, "If you wouldn't mind, may I join you? I too have a match today, you see."

Asuka shrugged, "It's a free country."

Hitomi suddenly had an idea, "Hey! Since your matches are both later today, we should all have lunch together!"

The German then turned to the kunoichi, "I need to ask you a couple things anyway, Kasumi."

"Of course, that sounds nice," Kasumi smiled sweetly.

Xiao put her hand on her chin, "How about 2:00? I know a great cafe around this part of town. We'll meet up back here?"

The other girls nodded and then split up.

* * *

A couple miles away from the Mishima Zaibatsu was a clearing near a more rural part of Tokyo. In this clearing there was a large pile of rubble, composed mostly of concrete, which stuck out like a sore thumb in the lush fields.

Groans of pain could be heard from the rubble for about a minute, before finally a battered hand managed to push some of the rocks out of the way.

Heihachi Mishima gasped for air as he finally pulled his burned and bruised body from the rubble. He had landed here and fallen unconscious after being blown away during the events at Honmaru a couple weeks ago.

"C..urse...that...Kaz..uya," Heihachi muttered as he tried to stand up.

No matter how big, nothing so trivial as an explosion could ever do in the ruthless head of the Zaibatsu.

It was time to take back what belonged to him.

* * *

Asuka and Kasumi emerged from the locker rooms in the hotel gym.

The Osakan was clad in a pair of black spandex leggings and a blue tank top with red workout gloves. She had once again opted to tie her hair back in a ponytail, as she always did when she was training. Kasumi had on a similar outfit except her tank top was pink and she opted to go with bare hands. Her auburn hair was in its usual ponytail as well.

Immediately after entering the gym, Asuka started doing a couple stretches. The kunoichi just watched her for a moment with interest.

"So how do ya know Hitomi?", asked Asuka a she sat on the ground stretching her hamstrings. She of course knew the answer already, as Hitomi had told her last night, but the atmosphere seemed to be a little awkward so the Osakan asked anyway.

Kasumi smiled as she finally joined the other girl in her stretches, "She is a friend I made in the DOA tournament a couple of years ago."

The Osakan got up and started working on her arms, "Ah. Plus you guys went on that vacation right? Two if I'm correct?"

The kunoichi's eyes widened and she looked down with a slight blush on her face, "She told you about that did she?"

Asuka simply nodded as she started on her katas, "Yep. Sounds like you had a good time. I'd like to go somewhere like that someday...it's been a long time since I've vacationed anywhere. Since I was a kid I think."

Kasumi sighed a bit, "Before we left for the island...I had never known such paradise could even exist."

The Osakan let out a small grunt as she threw an elbow at the air in front of her, "I hear ya. So what do you do? Y'know, when you aren't fighting?" Asuka suddenly stopped her katas, "Wait...what's your fighting style anyhow?"

The kunoichi suddenly became flustered. Kasumi had wanted to practice with Asuka after seeing that she was also a Kazama from the screen before, hoping that the girl could perhaps give her information on Jin. Now however, it seemed that Asuka was the one asking all of the questions!

"Um...I practice modern...hand to hand...non-weapon...ninjutsu."

Asuka's eyes widened, "Ninjutsu? So you're like, a ninja?!"

Kasumi feigned a laugh, hoping to divert the subject as soon as possible, "No...I just practice the art. It has...fascinated me for as long as I can remember."

Thankfully, the other girl seemed to have forgotten about her other question regarding Kasumi's occupation, and started scoping out a suitable punching bag.

"That's so cool. If I had a choice, I would have totally learned that instead of Kazama-Style Self Defense, but my dad wanted me to carry on the style. See, cause I'm an only child so it sort of wasn't a choice...

"...not that I mind at all!" She added quickly.

Kasumi laughed lightly, "So you're a Kazama?"

Asuka stopped suddenly and turned around, "I don't know Jin. Though...we might be related. I really don't know what to think on that anymore...

The kunoichi sighed, "So...you don't know anything about him, huh?"

Asuka shook her head, "Other than him being that Kazuya loser's son and a total downer? Nah, sorry."

"I see."

After glancing around at all the punching bags in the gym, Asuka finally found one that wasn't completely covered in sweat. In fact, this bag looked almost pristine...it definitely stood out. She grinned in victory.

"That one's mine."

"I think not."

Both girls turned at the sound of the accented voice behind them.

There stood a girl who looked a bit younger than Asuka and Kasumi, though she was a bit taller. She had silky blonde hair that was tied into a ponytail, and she was wearing a workout uniform that looked pretty expensive...if that was at all possible. Behind the girl stood an old man who was clad in a tuxedo and wearing black gloves. In one of his gloved hands was a towel, probably for the girl to use after her workout. Kasumi inwardly thought the girl could be a younger sister of Helena – she even had a French accent.

The girl walked up to the punching bag and trailed her fingers down it, "This punching bag belongs to me. I had it flown in here from my personal gym back in Monaco. I simply couldn't use any of these other disgusting bags, you see."

Asuka narrowed her eyes at the girl in anger, "Who the hell are you?"

The blonde girl placed a hand behind her back and extended her other one, "Emilie De Rochefort, but I would prefer Lili, if you would be so kind."

The Osakan looked down at her hand and started walking away, "Yeah, okay. Whatever. We're leaving. C'mon Kasumi."

The kunoichi gave the dumbfounded Lili an apologetic smile as she ran to catch up with Asuka. The Monegasque girl huffed and turned back to the punching bag, striking it ferociously.

"How rude!"

Her butler, Sebastian, just sighed.

* * *

The screen in the lobby was still on and still displayed all the fighters' names and the match ups for today, but otherwise the room was completely empty. A figure slowly emerged in the lobby and glanced at the screen.

It was a man who looked rather ghostly in appearance. His hair was midnight black and he was wearing a brown military uniform. His eyes were such a light blue that they almost looked white, and he had a faint scar running down his chin. The man remained completely silent as he glanced at the paper in his hands.

_Sergei Dragunov,_

_The entity known as "Devil" has been traced to Tokyo Japan. _

_Your orders are to discover the entities whereabouts and capture it._

_While we are not sure, there is evidence that the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5 could provide possible leads. Specifically, Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama could have more information. _

_Use any means necessary. _

Dragunov folded up the document and placed it in his jacket pocket before walking back into the shadows.

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter took a while because I had to format exactly how I want the tournament to play out. You have no idea how hard it is to keep the tournament canon while introducing new characters! I am however, glad to say that I've got it all figured out now so fight scenes will start appearing in the next chapters. Also in regards to the stages, I just chose the ones that I thought would work best for my story, plus 8 stages (excluding Ground Zero) makes it easier to set up matches with 32 contestants. Once again, for the purposes of the story, all stages are in Japan. They're all actual stages from Tekken 5 as well, with the exception of the Arena which I just added myself. Stay tuned and remember to review!(Also, yeah I had 32 fighters on my list and forgot to add Kuma and Panda...and I was lazy. Sue me.)


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait and thanks for the reviews as always. One of my reviewers said that maybe I should make my chapters a bit longer, so I took that into consideration with this one. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, I'm actually not too sure how I feel about it. Reviews never go out of style ;)

* * *

**Chapter 9 - Day 1: Strawberries and Fleas**

Hitomi and Xiao were standing around in the lobby waiting for Asuka and Kasumi to return from the gym. During the time in which their friends were training, the German had asked Xiao if she wanted to map the route to the Urban Jungle. The Chinese girl had agreed, having nothing better to do at that current moment. Unsurprisingly, when the duo arrived there they were turned away by a man who said to come back later when the match officially started.

The place was in a rough looking area. While the Mishima Zaibatsu was in the more upscale business district of Tokyo, the Urban Jungle was in what could be assumed to be more of a ghetto. _Urban Jungle_ was actually the name of the club that sat on top of the arena – After verifying that they were contestants in the tournament, the man at the door had confirmed this. This meant that the club's basement housed the arena, and Hitomi had to assume that the crowd at this match would probably consist of some very interesting people because of that.

The trip to the somewhat sketchy club also provided the karateka with some much needed thinking time. She hadn't told anyone yet, but ever since the shopping trip to the mall Hitomi had been battling some rather intrusive and unwanted thoughts...

...thoughts concerning her sexuality.

She didn't like girls. Of course, it wasn't anything personal and Hitomi respected anyone who swung that way, but she didn't. It was impossible; the German had only recently gotten over a long standing, but hopeless crush on Hayate. Not only that, but she still found guys attractive.

Guys like Steve or Hwoarang for example were good specimens.

Ever since arriving here though, Hitomi had involuntarily started to reflect on all of the girl friends she had. More and more frequently, the brunette found herself dwelling on certain physical features of her friends. The worst part was that she would think about what it would be like to..._interact_ with said features...

Things like Leifang's long, smooth legs...

Or Kasumi's flawless auburn locks...

Not to mention Tina's...well, _assets_...

And then there was Asuka...

That was when it started. After Hitomi had met Asuka Kazama, her entire outlook on women had suddenly shifted into something she didn't fully understand. There was something about the girl that just stuck in her mind, though the German didn't know exactly what that was. And _that_ was what had been bothering her the most lately.

Hitomi and Xiao's little trip today had left the poor girl with these thoughts engulfing her mind, causing the karateka to finally muster up her courage and voice her concerns to the only person currently available to listen.

"Hey Xiao?"

The Chinese girl was absentmindedly playing with her pigtails, "Hm? What's up?"

"I...uh, wanted to ask you something."

Xiao turned around fully now and faced the older girl, "Sure, shoot."

Hitomi took a deep breath, "Well, have you ever found yourself..._admiring _other girls before?"

The brunette had made sure to say the word "admiring" in a slightly suggestive tone, hoping that Xiao would see what she was getting at.

The Chinese girl furrowed her brow, "Hm, in what way exactly? Like their looks? Or their personalities? Or their fighting skills?"

The German sighed lightly, "I guess just all of it. Y'know just...other girls in general."

Xiao shrugged, "Yeah, sure. I'm a lot of things but perfect isn't one of them, so I can't help but notice other girls sometimes. Seems fine enough to me, if that's what you're wondering."

Hitomi allowed the girl a small smile, but on the inside she didn't feel very relieved at all. The brunette realized that she would have to make her meaning more clear.

"But what about..." The German took another breath, "...intimately?"

Xiaoyu's eyes widened, "Wha-"

"We're back!"

It was Kasumi who had interrupted the conversation as she quickly walked up to the girls with a smile on her face. Asuka was slowly walking behind her. The girls were both showered and ready to go to lunch, but the Osakan looked thoroughly annoyed for some reason. Hitomi quickly looked to Xiao and mouthed "drop it" before turning to her two other friends.

"What's with her?" asked Xiao as she noticed Asuka grumbling something to herself.

Kasumi sighed, "I'm afraid she is upset over an incident while we were training earlier."

Hitomi quirked an eyebrow, "Incident?"

Asuka sighed and shook her head, "Some snobby new girl named Lili just arrived. She thinks she owns the whole goddamn place already and she's _so _annoying. I can already tell that me and her are going to butt heads."

Xiao tilted her head in concern, "Well what happened?"

Kasumi looked as though she was trying to hide a grin, "Well, when Lili wouldn't let Asuka use her punching bag, at first we just walked away. But then later Asuka challenged her to a sparring match and Lili...rejected her."

The younger girl threw her hands up in annoyance, "She said I lacked manners and I needed a shower! I have no idea how she trains, but in my books if you don't work up a sweat you ain't doing it right!"

There was a pause before Hitomi and Xiao busted out laughing. Kasumi soon followed.

"If it makes you feel better you smell great right now," said Xiao between laughs.

The auburn-haired girl grinned, "That would be because she spent 20 minutes extra in the shower. Which is why we're late."

Hitomi giggled again, "This girl really got to you, huh? You smell overwhelmingly like strawberries!"

Kasumi smiled, "I leant her my shampoo, though she may have used too much..."

The three girls started laughing again.

Asuka just huffed and started walking away from the group, "Let's just go, okay?"

Xiao leaned in close to the Kasumi and Hitomi wearing a devilish grin.

"We should totally call her Strawberry from now on."

"Hey! I heard that!"

* * *

A couple hours earlier, Raven had landed in a nearby clearing in front of a rather large waterfall. This was apparently supposed to be the battle ground for his match, so the ninja crossed his arms and patiently waited. His opponent had 5 minutes to show up.

"You would be my opponent then."

Raven glanced in the direction of the voice. While his stoic expression didn't change, he was mildly surprised nonetheless.

His opponent was an old man, easily past his 80's, who barely looked able to stand up straight. He had his arms placed behind his back and was giving the ninja a polite smile. Raven pressed his earpiece and waited for a response.

"Requesting intel on my opponent."

A voice came on the other end after a moment, _"Wang Jinrei. Old tournament records state that he was around 82 years old during the very first King of Iron Fist tournament, which would make him around 105 years old now. He might some connections to the Mishimas, but is otherwise of little importance. Eliminate him."_

Raven nodded as if his superior could see him, "Understood."

Wang shook his head, "You kids and your gadgets."

The ninja then got into his fighting stance as Wang did the same, "Sorry old man."

The elderly man gave Raven a smirk, "Don't take me lightly, son."

* * *

The girls finally arrived at the cafe Xiao had mentioned after a short walk. The trip there was filled with laughter and merciless teasing of Asuka (now also known as Strawberry), mostly on Hitomi and Xiao's part. The German was glad to have the gym story as a distraction, as it finally allowed her mind to stop dwelling on her thoughts from earlier. She hoped that Xiao wouldn't bring it back up later.

Asuka groaned as they walked into the restaurant, "It's really not that funny. I don't get why you two are still laughing about it."

Hitomi patted her friend on the back, "It's because since we've met you you've had this whole 'I-don't-take-crap-from-anyone' thing about you, but some stupid comment made by a rich girl has left you totally insecure!"

Xiao nodded in agreement, "Yeah, you really overreacted...you do smell delicious though."

Asuka huffed again in annoyance as Kasumi took the liberty of asking for a table. After a couple moments, the three girls were led by the hostess into the dining room.

"Hey girls! Over here!"

The group noticed the voice as Hwoarang's. The Korean was sitting at a nearby table with Steve and the girl with the brown plaits from before. After the hostess asked them if they would like to join their table, the girls nodded and they sat down.

"Julia!" said Xiao as she hugged the other brunette quickly.

Julia returned the hug warmly, "Hello, Xiaoyu. Good to finally see you again."

The American then turned to Asuka, Hitomi and Kasumi and extended her hand, "I'm Julia, nice to meet you girls!"

The two girls introduced themselves as everyone sat back down at the table. Kasumi took the liberty of introducing herself to Steve and Hwoarang as well, seeing as she wasn't at the banquet last night. Steve gave Hitomi a warm smile, and Asuka thought she saw the faintest blush appear on the karateka's cheeks. The Osakan tried to distract herself from the scene by looking through her menu.

"Sorry we didn't get to meet last night," Julia began, "but I was busy trying to stop King from jumping on Marduk and making a scene..."

Asuka looked back up and nodded in understanding, "S'okay. Which one's King again? Guy with the mask?"

Julia nodded sadly, "Yeah. He holds a grudge against Marduk for killing his mentor and disgracing his memory…"

Hitomi's eyes widened, "Whoa...and I thought we had it bad."

"We do..." said Asuka, annoyed.

The American rested her arms gently on the table, "So why are you guys in the tournament?"

"Feng Wei," said the girls in unison.

Julia's eyes widened a bit, "The Chinese Kempo practitioner?"

Asuka and Hitomi straightened in surprise. This was the first person other than Lei who apparently knew of Feng.

"You know him?" asked Hitomi eagerly.

Unfortunately, Julia shook her head, "Not really. I was with Lei this morning and he told me that Feng was the only other new face there other than you three. Then later I went to go find out where the Dragon's Nest arena was and I saw him training there by himself. He looks really strong…I'm assuming you guys have something against him?"

Asuka gripped her menu tighter, "Yeah. We do."

"Randomly took out their dads. Put 'em in the hospital," said Steve calmly. Hitomi detected a venomous tone to his voice, however.

Kasumi meanwhile let out a gasp. This information was new to her. She placed her hand on Hitomi's shoulder in sympathy.

"I'm sorry, Hitomi. Your father has always sounded like a wonderful man from what I've heard. Without him..."

The German nodded quickly, "I know...Hayate..."

Xiao quirked an eyebrow, suddenly intrigued, "Who's Hayate?"

Asuka also suddenly became intrigued by the new name, though she kept silent.

The older girl waved her hand dismissively, "I'll tell you guys later. Right now, I'm starving! Let's eat already!"

With that, everyone broke off into their own conversations and started looking at the menus. Asuka suddenly remembered the lie she had told Steve at the banquet about Hitomi having a boyfriend back home...

...she was hoping this "Hayate" didn't prove it to be true.

* * *

Raven was panting as he stood over Wang. He had won, but the fight proved to be much more difficult than he had anticipated. He felt a certain amount of respect for the old man, but knew he had other matters to attend to.

Extending a hand to help Wang up, Raven began his interrogation, "I need to ask you a couple questions, Master Wang."

The old man simply nodded as he dusted off his clothes, "Ask away my son, but do not expect to find all of your answers without looking deeper yourself."

The ninja simply nodded, "Why are you in this tournament?"

Wang placed his hands back behind his back, "I received a letter from someone who I thought had passed many years ago."

"Who would that be?"

"An old friend," said Wang simply.

The ninja leaned back against a nearby wall, "Do you happen to know anything important about the events at Honmaru?"

Wang shook his head, "I don't like to get involved with the Mishimas if I don't need to."

Raven wasn't necessarily surprised by that answer; most people would probably have said the same thing about the ruthless family.

He crossed his arms again, "What exactly do you know about the Mishimas?"

The old man's expression darkened, "They have become tainted. There is no simpler way to put it."

"I wasn't asking for a simple answer."

Wang started walking away, "I told you, you must figure some things out for yourself. I cannot provide all the information you seek."

"Can you at least tell me who this friend of yours was?" Raven called out to the elderly Chinese man.

Wang looked over his shoulder sadly before disappearing, "Jinpachi Mishima."

* * *

Lunch had gone by pretty smoothly for the most part. The group pleasantly discussed their backgrounds and where they all discovered their love for fighting. Some people had very interesting stories; for example, Hitomi only learned now that Steve was a middleweight champion boxer. She was impressed with that fact, though she couldn't help but wonder how far the Brit would get in a competition that included many other fighting styles.

Other things that were discussed included Julia's reforestation research and her collaboration with G-Corporation. Kasumi made sure to pay extra attention to the American, as the kunoichi remembered that Raven had mentioned G-Corporation the other night when they had met. It sounded like an incredibly secretive organization, and Kasumi knew from experience that this probably meant they were up to no good. Unfortunately, Julia seemed to have been left in the dark on what was really going there, as she was more focused on resuming her own personal research. Kasumi wondered if the corporation had any connections to Kazuya or Jin.

Eventually everyone had decided to disperse and do their own thing. Xiao stated that she wanted to go visit Panda for a bit, while Kasumi said she was going to get ready for her match against Yoshimitsu, which was quickly approaching. Everyone else had stated that they wanted to get some training in for their matches tomorrow, which left Hitomi and Asuka alone as they casually walked the streets of Tokyo.

"So, Strawberry," Hitomi began with a grin, "you ready for your match tonight?"

Asuka groaned, "Cut it out…"

The German laughed but nodded, "Okay, okay. But seriously, you ready? Nobody at lunch really knew anything about Mokujin, did they?"

The Osakan shrugged, "I'm not too worried. I was in top form today while training. Not only that, but even if the rumors of Mokujin being a training dummy that's come to life are true, that's not necessarily that threatening, right?"

Hitomi put a hand on her chin in thought, "I wouldn't be so sure…"

The Japanese girl crossed her arms, "Look, I didn't come all the way here to lose to a stupid training dummy of all things."

Hitomi suddenly pinched Asuka's bare arm. She winced in pain.

"Ow! What the hell, Hitomi!"

The older girl laughed, "I'm making a point. If the rumors are true, than Mokujin might be completely immune to pain. It'll probably be a test of endurance for you."

Asuka rubbed her arm looking annoyed, "I'll find a way to hurt that thing. You can count on that."

* * *

Dressed in her ninja garb, Kasumi prepared to leave for the Secret Garden. She decided to take the rooftops so that she could be more efficient and avoid running into unnecessary people on the way.

She was very interested in meeting her opponent. Yoshimitsu was supposedly the name given to the many different leaders of the elusive Manji Clan, or at least that's what the kunoichi had heard. The Manji were so secretive that they almost put the Mugen-Tenshin to shame.

Landing on an adjacent rooftop, Kasumi allowed herself a small grin. With the information on Jin and Kazuya that she received today, as well as the little tidbits that Julia let slip about G-Corporation, the redhead was sure that she would have enough intel for Raven by tonight. Still, she was vigilantly on the lookout for anything else that would raise suspicion, and she still needed to find out who was running the tournament.

The kunoichi suddenly stopped in her tracks when she felt a familiar presence close to her. She waiting for a moment then turned around and faced the one following her.

"Ryu?"

The super ninja crossed his arms, "Kasumi."

The Dragon Ninja was clad in all black as usual, though his arms were exposed up to his gauntlets. His Dragon Sword as always was strapped to his back and his green eyes were as prevalent as ever. If Kasumi had to guess, she would say that Hayabusa probably wasn't too happy with her right now, even though she couldn't really read his expression.

"Why are you here? You're supposed to be tracking Donovan," said Ryu matter-of-factly.

Kasumi nodded once, "I am. This tournament is the best lead I have, Ryu."

"I don't remember the Mishima's having anything to do with DOATEC. This is a waste of your time."

The kunoichi was right, her guardian was angry.

Kasumi shook her head but looked Hayabusa straight in the eyes, "I am working with Raven. He is the ninja who witnessed the Tri-Tower's fall two years ago-"

"I know who he is," interrupted Ryu, "but why help him? He cannot be trusted."

Kasumi turned away and looked out into the city, "I'm aware of this, but I have no other leads at the current moment. He is holding information from me about Donovan because he doesn't trust me either. If I prove useful to him however, then he will give me the information he knows I require."

Hayabusa walked up and stood next to her, "And if he doesn't make good on this deal?"

The kunoichi sighed, "I have to believe that he will. This is the best lead that I have so far, Ryu. I can't just let it go to waste."

Ryu then gently placed his hands on the red-head's shoulders and turned her to face him. His green eyes seemed to be burning holes through her own.

"I will be watching over you during this tournament, but even still, please be careful Kasumi. Hayate and Ayane are currently conducting their own search for Donovan, and you know they cannot be seen with you."

Kasumi nodded, "I'll be fine, Ryu. Thank you."

Hayabusa then abruptly turned away from the kunoichi and vanished in a swirl of green leaves. Kasumi then continued on her way to the Secret Garden.

* * *

Eventually, the kunoichi had landed lightly in a small rectangular garden. By this point, the sun was beginning to set and there was a light breeze starting to form. Even still, Kasumi couldn't help but be amazed by the serenity of the place she currently occupied.

True to it's name, this arena had flower beds scattered all over. There were stone walls that surrounded the kunoichi, and a single iron gate with two gargoyles located on the far end. Despite how much Kasumi just wanted to close her eyes and let herself get lost in the calmness of the garden, she knew she couldn't. If the stories about Yoshimitsu were true, then she definitely couldn't let her guard down for even a second.

After about another minute, Kasumi heard a peculiar noise. It almost sounded like an incredibly weak helicopter of sorts, if that made any sense. Whatever it was, it was definitely coming from above. She glanced up and was met with a very strange sight.

There was a figure descending down into the arena rather slowly. He seemed to be using his sword as a sort of propeller and was spinning it using what the kunoichi now realized as a mechanical hand.

When Yoshimitsu finally landed, Kasumi took a moment to really look at him. The first thing the kunoichi noticed was that this man was not exactly human anymore. Or perhaps he was, but he seemed to have a plethora of strange looking enhancements made to his body. Even his face, which was covered by a strange visor of sorts, looked more like a skull with red eyes. Despite the chilling appearance however, Kasumi felt no evil aura from him. In fact, Yoshimitsu seemed to radiate a sort of strong moral leadership – much like Hayate.

They were just looking at each other for a while, until Yoshimitsu finally decided to speak in a decidedly cyborg-esque voice.

"I am Yoshimitsu. Prepare yourself, kunoichi."

Kasumi was slightly surprised that the cyborg ninja was so easily able to determine that she herself was a ninja, though she didn't let it show on her face. Instead, she just got into her fighting stance.

* * *

The line up at the Urban Jungle was huge, but thankfully Hitomi, Asuka, Xiao, Julia, Steve, Hwoarang and Lei were able to bypass the line as they were tournament competitors. Another woman was also able to bypass the line; she had darker skin and reminded Hitomi slightly of Lisa.

Surprisingly, the upper level of the club was rather upscale and nice looking. It was pretty clean and the music wasn't overbearingly loud either. The tables all looked nice and there was a modestly sized dance floor that didn't take up the majority of the club but still allowed for a lot of people.

_We should all come here tomorrow night, _thought the German with a smile on her face.

If the top level was nice however, the basement was anything but. The place was very dirty and was boarded up in places to prevent patrons from going to the cellars and stealing alcohol. Another interesting feature was the minivan that was randomly swinging in the back of the room. The German just decided to accept that though, after all it did seem to fit in with the rest of the place. There were also more bouncers down here too and they were all pretty mean looking, but Hitomi knew they wouldn't be able to do much if the fight got out of hand.

She hoped it wouldn't, but it _was_ Feng fighting after all.

Steve nudged Hwoarang, "This is one disgusting-looking basement, eh mate?"

The Korean shrugged, "It's not too bad. I'm used to places like this; I was a street fighter for a while back in Korea. That is, until Kazama showed up and gave me my first ever draw."

"So that's where the rivalry came from," said Hitomi as they all sat down close to the arena.

Hwoarang nodded, "Yep. He won't get away with that for long though. Kazama's mine this time."

Asuka gave the Korean a cocky smirk, "That's if you get matched up against him at all. Might have to get through another Kazama first."

The red head leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, "If the time comes, do your worst kiddo."

The Osakan groaned in annoyance, "Just cause I'm the youngest one here doesn't mean you can call me kiddo, idiot."

"He's gonna call you that anyway, Asuka. Better get used to it," said Julia with a warm smile. Asuka just rolled her eyes.

The basement was starting to fill up fast with more people. Hitomi looked around and saw pretty much all guys other than their group. They all looked rather creepy and all had drinks in their hands and stupid grins on their faces. The German groaned, knowing that they might have to deal with these guys later on.

"Hey guys," the karateka began, "look out for some of these guys. I think that our group here might have the only girls in this whole basement."

Asuka laughed at Hitomi, "Hitomi, please. I deal with dudes like this on a regular basis. If they try anything, they're toast. Besides, there's seven of us."

Lei nodded, "I'm a cop so I deal with guys like this a lot too. There's nothing to worry about; these guys all tend to lose their skin once my badge comes out. And if that doesn't work, my fist will."

"That's right," said Steve as he punched his palm, "you've got nothing to worry about, Hitomi. We all got each other's backs." The Brit gave the German a confident smirk for good measure which she returned.

"Guys!" yelled Xiao, "The match is starting!"

* * *

Kasumi landed on her back painfully. With a groan she looked up at her opponent, who was currently sitting on top of the hilt of his sword, watching her.

Yoshimitsu hadn't moved from his "Flea" stance at all since knocking the kunoichi away. She almost felt embarrassed that she was losing to him, since most of his moves proved to be incredibly ridiculous.

Ridiculous but _effective_, apparently.

Kasumi stood up slowly and resumed her fighting stance, "You have a very interesting way of fighting."

The cyborg ninja finally jumped off of his sword and struck an odd pose, "It is the way of the Manji. You're style too is respectable; the sakura petals would indicate that you are a descendant of the Mugen-Tenshin Clan."

Kasumi made sure to say nothing to this, knowing that she could never betray the existence of her clan to an outsider, especially another ninja. Yoshimitsu seemed to understand this and bowed slightly.

"My apologies. Now then, come!"

With blinding speed, the Manji leader suddenly lunged at Kasumi, but the kunoichi managed to dodge just in time. Kasumi then went on the offensive, and threw an elbow at Yoshimitsu's now exposed back. The cyborg ninja winced slightly but then managed to duck the kunoichi's follow up strike, leaving her wide open. He took this opportunity to connect the hilt of his sword with her stomach, causing her to gasp and step back a few feet.

As soon as he had space, the Manji leader hopped up into the air crossed his legs at the same time. He then simultaneously used his mechanical hand and sword to act as a propeller again, keeping him floating a few feet off the ground. Yoshimitsu dubbed this stance the Manji Dragonfly.

Kasumi meanwhile kept her face neutral as she watched Yoshimitsu hover in front of her. She had never faced such a peculiar opponent, and it was bothering her that she couldn't think of what to do against him. She was sure Yoshimitsu had weaknesses, but he was just so _odd_ that it was difficult to figure out what they were. The kunoichi briefly thought back to her fights against other ninjas…

Whenever Ayane would catch up to her and force her to fight in the past, Kasumi always utilized the fact that her sister's Hajin-mon style of ninjutsu relied too heavily on having her back turned. Ayane was still a tough opponent however, since the violet kunoichi was so fast that she didn't really need to worry about blocking while facing away from the opponent.

Yoshimitsu however, was a different story. He seemed to have blinding bursts of speed, but then would slow down immediately afterwards. Kasumi guessed this was because of his armor, which must tire him out eventually.

The kunoichi grinned at the still floating Yoshimitsu – she had found his weakness.

Without further ado, Kasumi lunged at the Manji leader, but instead of going to attack him, Kasumi instead slid right underneath his floating form. As soon as she got behind him she stayed ducked, knowing that he would throw a blind punch or kick to try and halt her next move. Luckily, she predicted Yoshimitsu's next move correctly and performed an air somersault without any hesitation, knocking him helplessly into the air. Right after she saw her attack connected, Kasumi disappeared in a burst of sakura petals and appeared above her still airborne opponent. She then dived into him, taking them both to the ground, though she landed on her feet gracefully.

The Manji leader got up quickly and prepared to defend himself from Kasumi's next assault, but he was breathing heavily. Kasumi smiled; her plan was working. She just needed to keep on the offensive.

With an aggressive battle cry Kasumi leapt up into the air and aimed her right foot at Yoshimitsu's head. He blocked the first kick just in time with his forearm, but he was unprepared for the kunoichi's second dive kick, which made him stumble backwards. Before he could even try to recover, Kasumi lunged at him yet again.

In a last ditch effort to gain some space from the surprisingly aggressive kunoichi's third assault in a row, Yoshimitsu thrust his sword in front of him quickly in a stabbing motion, hoping to connect with Kasumi's abdomen. Unfortunately, the attack narrowly missed the auburn-haired ninja and she grabbed the cyborg ninja's now completely exposed arm. She could feel Yoshimitsu lose his balance.

_This is it – now!_

With another passionate battle cry, Kasumi performed her signature throw _Oboro._ The technique caused the kunoichi to pass right through Yoshimitsu in a brilliant display of sakura petals in the blink of an eye. A couple of seconds after the attack, Kasumi heard the sound of Yoshimitsu groaning in agony as he fell to the flower infested ground beneath him.

Fortunately, that also happened to be the sound of victory.

Panting heavily, Kasumi turned to her opponent who was still on the ground but appeared to be okay. After a couple more moments, he sat up and rested his sword on the ground beside him.

"A well-deserved victory," said Yoshimitsu simply.

Kasumi bowed, "Thank you, Yoshimitsu. I must apologize for my aggressive behaviour; I do not usually fight like that."

The cyborg ninja shook his head as he slowly retrieved his sword and stood up, "No need. You did what you had to in order to defeat me, and you were unconcerned of how to reach that outcome. You would do well in the Manji Clan." Kasumi simply bowed at the compliment, not wanting to give anything away about her own clan by accident.

After a moment, Yoshimitsu raised his mechanical hand up to the sky as it started rotating once again.

"I must go now, fair kunoichi. There is still a scoundrel lurking who I must find and defeat. Until we meet again."

Kasumi nodded to the Manji leader as abruptly flew away, leaving her alone in the garden. She looked towards a distant building and saw her guardian standing there with his arms crossed.

He was far away, but Kasumi thought she saw him nod before he vanished.

* * *

**A/N:** Yoshi's hard to write man...this took me forever. Please review!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **It's my birthday! Woot! In order to celebrate, I decided to post a new chapter. (Also I'm partying and all that jazz this weekend so I have nothing better to do) Anyways, I noticed a small discrepancy in my last chapter - Feng's match was at 9:00, but Kasumi was still fighting Yoshimitsu when the group when to Urban Jungle. In order to avoid problems, just pretend that Kasumi's match was over **before **Feng's started. It's a really minor detail but I'm a perfectionist so...oh and also, REVIEW! As a birthday present ;)

* * *

**Chapter 10 - Day 1: Cursed Blood and Dirty Dancing**

Raven landed on the rooftop with the billboard and waited for Kasumi. The clock had just struck 7:00, giving the kunoichi 5 minutes to arrive before he left the area. The ninja never did like staying in one place for too long – it was a wonder where he ever rested, if he even did. While waiting, Raven allowed his mind to wander a bit.

Jinpachi Mishima…while the name didn't sound familiar, a Mishima was still bound to be bad news regardless. He could be a long lost brother of Heihachi, or maybe even an illegitimate son. Whoever the guy was, there was a good chance he was running this tournament, since everyone else who possibly could seemed to be _competing_ for control currently instead.

But that left even more questions in the ninja's mind instead or answering any. For instance, why would Wang Jinrei, who seemed like a very humble and kind individual, be friends with a Mishima? As far as Raven's knowledge extended, all Mishimas were bad news. And how come this was the first time he'd heard of Jinpachi? If the guy had taken control over the entire Zaibatsu and beat Kazuya to the punch, then how come he remained such a mystery?

Raven had asked his superiors if there was _any _information on Jinpachi, and to his surprise they were just as lost as he was. This left his agency with giving Raven orders to simply move on through the tournament until they either dug up more information the ninja could use, or he discovered the man's identity himself.

The ninja cursed himself, wishing he had forcibly extracted more information from Wang instead of letting his good side get the better of him and letting the old man walk away. He somehow only realized now how important Jinpachi Mishima might prove to be.

Raven's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone landing behind him. He turned and faced a slightly out of breath Kasumi. The kunoichi didn't look that great; she had visible bruises in some places and various cuts in others, not to mention her hair was slightly unkempt in places. The male ninja crossed his arms as he examined her.

"Tough fight?"

Kasumi nodded and smiled sheepishly, "Yes. Yoshimitsu proved to be a rather difficult opponent."

Raven shook his head, "I've seen that fool of a man parade around these tournaments before. There is no way he is a ninja."

The kunoichi was slightly taken aback by Raven's decidedly cold tone regarding the Manji leader, but shook it off. There were more important things to discuss.

"I've retrieved some information for you, as promised."

The intelligence agent leaned back on the billboard, arms still crossed, "Well go ahead then."

Kasumi nodded, "Well, firstly there is the matter of Jin Kazama. I witnessed a confrontation between him and his father Kazuya Mishima, and the latter mentioned a certain incident regarding the events in Yakushima last week."

Raven perked up a bit and quirked an eyebrow, "You mean the forest that was almost completely destroyed?"

Again, the kunoichi nodded, "Yes. From what I could gather, Kazuya seemed to be insinuating that Jin was the perpetrator behind the incident, and Jin did not necessarily deny this."

The ninja looked down at the ground in thought for a moment before meeting Kasumi's eyes again, "But how would Jin be able to cause that much destruction?"

The auburn-haired kunoichi sighed, "That I do not know as of yet, though I am looking into it. I have a feeling that it may involve something he said before leaving the banquet, however."

"And what would that be, exactly?" asked the intelligence agent expectantly.

Kasumi furrowed her brow in thought for a moment, "I believe it was something along the lines of 'dealing with his cursed blood'."

Suddenly, Raven pushed himself off of the billboard and uncrossed his arms. He seemed a lot more interested now in what the kunoichi was saying. The ninja thought back to the events at Honmaru…

Though there was no way he could be 100% sure, but Raven was convinced that he saw _something_ fly away from the scene before the Jack units had invaded that night. Though he had only seen its shadow, and only for a couple seconds at most at that, Raven was sure that no matter what the figure was it happened to be human. Or at least, it _used _to be human before it got those large imposing wings.

It was definitely speculation, and while Raven always hated speculation, there were still concrete facts to back up the current hypothesis he was constructing in his head:

- He knew for a fact that Jin entered Honmaru with Kazuya and Heihachi that night directly after the fourth tournament.

- He also knew for a fact that he saw Kazuya leave only _seconds _before the explosion occurred.

- In addition, like most other people, he knew that Heihachi had definitely _not_ escaped the explosion.

- And most importantly, he knew that Jin was currently in the tournament going on now, and for all intents and purposes, seemed completely _fine._

And that meant that the Kazama must have escaped a while before the Jacks even got there…which would mean…

"Thank you, Kasumi. Your information has been surprisingly useful, but I must go now."

The kunoichi ran to catch up with the intelligence agent as he was beginning to leave, "Wait! I still have other information."

Raven nodded as he stepped on the ledge, "Good. Save it for our next meeting. Good luck as you progress through the tournament."

With that, Raven had once again vanished as he leapt off the building. Kasumi just stood there for a moment, wondering what exactly had caused the ninja to leave so abruptly.

She knew it wasn't part of her main objective, but the kunoichi was starting to seriously consider finding out what exactly was going on here for herself…

* * *

"Hello everyone!"

The crowd at the Urban Jungle suddenly became very quiet as a man stepped into the middle of the room. He looked like he was on the smaller side, but Hitomi noticed that he didn't looked scared or intimidated at all by the large group of rugged-looking people that surrounded him. The man _did_ however look thoroughly excited and was wearing a large grin on his face. He looked native to this part of Tokyo and was holding a microphone in one hand. Hitomi guessed that this guy was an announcer for the fights that were going to take place here.

"Welcome to the Urban Jungle," the man continued in surprisingly fluent English, "one of the official sponsors of the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5!"

The crowd became pretty loud and excited again after hearing the announcer's words. Hitomi looked over at Asuka and noticed her looking rather bored, along with the rest of her group. Perhaps they were used to places like this and just wanted to see the fight already.

She didn't blame them really.

The announcer held up his hand, which was surprisingly effective in once again quieting the crowd.

"We welcome you to our arena tonight, and we hope you are all comfortable, because our first tournament match begins right now!"

Once again, the crowd got excited, but Hitomi failed to notice as she saw a man enter the arena. He had darker skin and dreads that were tied up behind his head. On the man's left eyebrow was a small piercing. He was wearing an interesting and rather colourful outfit that consisted of a half shirt and baggy pants adorned with a loose rope-like belt. Another interesting thing to note was that this fighter chose not to wear shoes, or even foot guards.

The man was accompanied into the ring by the woman Hitomi had seen when her group entered the club. This woman looked to be a bit more on the curvy side; she was wearing a pink and white short sleeve shirt that she had tied up in a knot at her stomach. The first few buttons on the shirt were undone so it showed a fair amount of cleavage. A few seconds passed with Hitomi's eyes lingering on the said cleavage, and when the German realized what she was doing she quickly looked away with a very slight blush. She thought she saw Asuka smirking at her for a second, but the the Osakan had also returned her attention to the ring before she could be sure. It seemed the announcer was getting ready to speak again.

The scrawny man pointed to the dark-skinned fighter in the colourful outfit, "Introducing our first fighter: All the way from Brazil, it's the Capoeira prodigy: Eddy Gordo!"

The crowd hollered as Eddy raised his arm and acknowledged them with a smirk for a couple moments. The grin quickly faded though as a look of intense determination replaced it swiftly. Hitomi noticed the same look appear on the face of Eddy's companion next to him. The Brazilian man turned to the younger woman and gave her a nod, which she returned before finally leaving his side and retreating back to the edge of the arena.

"Ah, Eddy." said Hwoarang suddenly, "That guy's tricky to fight against. Faced him in the third tournament. Still beat him of course."

Hitomi put her hand on her chin, "I've heard of Capoeira, but I've never actually seen it used in real life before. My father says that it involves a lot of dancing. I've always wanted to try it."

Asuka laughed and tilted her head a bit, "I wonder if he'll be allowed to use his iPod for the fight..." The Osakan then gave the German a sly smirk, "...oh, and you should totally try it sometime, Hitomi. I bet you'd be good at it, 'specially if your dancing at the banquet is any indication."

Hitomi playfully flicked her hand at the younger girl, "Oh stop it, you."

Both girls giggled a bit before Hwoarang grabbed their attention, "If you ladies are done, your arch-nemesis is about to come on to the field."

The Korean's statement of course, caused both Hitomi and Asuka to abruptly turn back to the ring. The looks on their faces were completely the same – scowls of pure hatred.

After so long, there he stood. The Chinese Kempo practioner who put two of the most respected modern martial artists in the hospital had finally shown his face. Hitomi's eyes were practically blazing with anger as the man calmly walked into the arena.

The Kempo master was shirtless, exposing his extremely muscled physique. He had very broad shoulders, so imposing in fact that they looked as if they could be lethal by themselves. Feng's wrists each held large gold iron rings, which likely proved effective in increasing the power of some of the vicious man's inevitably crippling strikes. His hair was pulled back into a traditional Chinese braid that held it's own unique intricate features, but the most notable part of Feng's appearance was his face. The expression that was held on the Chinese man's visage was one of complete seriousness. In addition to _maybe_ Jin (though Xiao would definitely argue against it), Feng was likely one of the only people on earth that could convince you that he didn't know what a smile was. The Kempo master's mouth was set into a firm, straight line, completely unflinching. It was almost unnerving.

To the untrained eye, Feng Wei probably just looked like one of the most confident and determined fighters anyone had ever seen, but Hitomi knew better – he was a man that was ruthless, power-hungry and cared little for the welfare of others to achieve his own ends. Perhaps if there wasn't any bad blood between them the German could have been fooled by the man's expressionless and stoic demeanor, but her father's current state in the hospital made everything all too clear:

Feng was a monster.

The karateka didn't notice she was shaking in her seat until a hand was rested gently on her shoulder. Hitomi looked up to see Steve, who was wearing a sort of understanding and sympathetic expression on his face. Something about it made the girl feel the slightest bit better; enough at least to stop the shaking. The German glanced at Asuka, who was pretty much in the same boat as her at the moment.

"I. Hate. Him", The words were clear as day but still had a rough edge to them, as if Asuka was gritting her teeth together. Which she probably was.

Hitomi didn't say anything, but managed to calm herself down enough to actually focus on the match. After a couple of moments, the announcer shot his hand out towards Feng, who didn't even seem to notice he was there. He was just looking calmly at Eddy, who seemed a tiny bit agitated under his gaze.

"And introducing our second fighter: He's a new face in the King of Iron Fist Tournament, it's the Chinese Kempo Warrior Feng Wei!"

Asuka and Hitomi narrowed their eyes at Feng as the crowd cheered for him. After a couple more seconds of intense glaring, the German rolled her eyes at the crowd. They were morons; it just seemed that they liked to make unnecessary noise at the slightest thing. Hitomi was really starting to hate this place. She wanted to go back upstairs so badly, but knew that she had to stay here and watch the fight.

She just had to.

Soon enough, the announcer finally stepped out of the arena and back into the crowd. But not before exclaiming...

"Get ready, fight!"

* * *

After Raven left her standing on the rooftop, Kasumi was at a loss of what to do. The kunoichi wanted to get more information on Jin and Kazuya, but on a more personal level Kasumi wanted to go and see the man who put Hitomi's father in the hospital.

Even though their relationship was obviously still a bit strained, Kasumi and her brother Hayate had finally started to somewhat rebuild their relationship. It was still a bit tense, especially if Ayane was there, which she usually was. But even then, the violet kunoichi had also finally started to accept her half sister back into her life. Whether or not that was a reluctant decision at the behest of Hayate, Kasumi didn't know. She thought it was better if she didn't find out.

The point was that Kasumi was finally starting to get her life back. None of that would have been possible however if Hayate hadn't met Hitomi and her father.

The kunoichi's eyes widened, realizing that she much more indebted to Hitomi than she initially thought. Not only did she need to repay the German for helping Hayate, but also for helping herself as well. She would never be in where she is now if it wasn't for the Heinrich family.

Nodding to herself, Kasumi made up her mind. She now had two missions: Gather information for Raven, and help Hitomi avenge her father.

Kasumi was sure that even Ryu wouldn't have a problem with that.

* * *

"Damn it, come on!"

"Alright!"

"Beat his ass, Eddy!"

Eddy Gordo crashed into the ground as soon as one of Feng's massive shoulders collided with his chest. To the Brazilian's credit however, he got up almost immediately after in order to avoid the Chinese martial artist's follow-up stomp. Hitomi shook her head in disgust at what the Kempo practitioner had just tried to do.

The man was clearly extremely skilled in fighting, but what made Feng different from other martial artists was the fact that he still had no qualms about fighting dirty. And in Hitomi's book, hitting a guy when he was down was only one step above the famed _"kick in the nuts"._

"Disgusting", muttered the German under her breath.

As soon as Eddy got back up he attempted to catch Feng's legs with a slide, but the Chinese man quickly sidestepped him. Instead of getting up though, the Capoeira prodigy stayed on the ground and looked like he was waiting for his opponent to make a move. When Feng just stood there watching him, Eddy finally got impatient and attempted a very fast spring get-up kick. Unfortunately for him, Feng managed to somehow catch the Brazillian and slammed him back down to the ground.

"That kick was so fast and yet Feng caught him like it was nothing!" exclaimed an impressed Julia.

Asuka rolled her eyes, "He just got lucky."

Instead of waiting this time, Feng instead lunged at the still grounded Brazilian man. Eddy rolled out of the way, but as he was getting up the Chinese man still managed to hit him with a spinning roundhouse. The powerful kick connected with the Brazilian's temple, stunning him. As soon as he noticed Eddy was dazed, Feng suddenly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The crowd grew somewhat quieter as he appeared to be focusing intently on something. It almost looked like the Kempo master was trying to drown out the noise from his boisterous surroundings.

Steve leaned forward slightly with curiosity, "What's he doing?"

Lei put his hand on his chin, "He's calming himself. I think he's preparing to end the match..."

Hitomi looked over to the woman Eddy was with before. She looked extremely agitated and seemed to be itching to get in there to stop Feng herself. The German didn't blame her, whatever attack the Chinese man was planning was not going to be pleasant for Eddy at all.

Suddenly, Feng's eyes shot open. His face held an intensity that Hitomi had never seen before in her entire 20 years. She was convinced that the fire in his eyes was coursing through the man's entire being at that moment.

This match was over.

With unprecedented speed and a vicious sounding battle cry, Feng Wei shot out the palm of his hand towards Eddy's abdomen. Before the Brazilian could even see it coming, it was too late. The crowd had gone deathly silent after Feng's _Death Palm _connected. The only sound that could be heard was Eddy's groans of agony while he was writhing on the ground.

After a couple more intense moments of heavy silence, the announcer hesitantly walked back into the arena. Feng gave him a bored look.

"The winner is...Feng Wei!"

Immediately after hearing this, the shock that overtook the crowd seemed to wear off and they cheered madly. Hitomi also heard some "boos" and "damn it's" in there somewhere, probably because some people bet on the fight and lost. She didn't care about the crowd at all however at that moment; the German instead was looking at the woman Eddy had entered the arena with.

Tears were streaming down the Brazilian woman's face as she ran past Feng and towards Eddy who was _still _on the ground. Hitomi couldn't hear what she was saying, but it was very clear she was upset. The karateka then looked at Feng, who was watching the two Capoeria fighters in front of him. He regarded the Brazilians with an unimpressed look, then abruptly turned and disappeared into the crowd. Everyone stood out of his way as he left. Hitomi felt anger building up inside of her again at the scene.

"He just left...he didn't even help him up or see if he was okay...he didn't even care..."

Asuka looked at the German in confusion, "You thought that he would?"

Hitomi glanced at the Osakan. She looked pretty upset herself, and also a bit shaken. Asuka shook it off quickly, but Hitomi knew that Feng's match had affected the Kazama girl as well. She was just too damn proud to admit it.

"No," said Hitomi while shaking her head, "I guess not..."

Steve crossed his arms, "A bad loser but an even worse winner. Reminds you of Marduk, don't you think?"

Julia nodded, "Yeah, but Feng's way better at concealing his arrogance. It's definitely there though, you can tell."

Hwoarang nudged Lei, "Aren't you trying to arrest him? Why not go after him now?"

The super cop sighed, "He'd obviously resist, and that would cause an unnecessary scene, especially in this area. And besides," he gestured to Hitomi and Asuka with a smile, "I'd rather watch one of these two do him in personally."

Xiaoyu nodded, "Yeah, it's not like he's going anywhere. I feel bad for Christie though..."

"You mean Eddy's girlfriend over there?" asked Asuka, who was gesturing to the duo as they were finally leaving the arena.

"Yeah. At least it looks like Eddy will be okay though; he's walking and all."

Hitomi felt relieved for Eddy, but then her anger resurfaced as she realized that Feng didn't grant her father the same mercy. Perhaps he just regarded Eddy as an obstacle in the way of the scrolls. Not even a challenge.

"C'mon," said the German abruptly as she stood up, "I'm getting sick of this place."

Her friends didn't argue at all as they swiftly left the club. The match seemed to have dampened everyone's mood anyhow. Asuka however, had other problems to deal with...

Looking back on it, the Osakan didn't know if coming here tonight was a good idea. Sitting for so long made her muscles all tight, and the fact that she now knew the face of her father's attacker, she'd have to try and not get distracted by the thought of him during her match.

Checking her phone, Asuka realized that it was 9:45 – soon she'd have to start getting ready for her own match. She hated the fact that she knew nothing about her opponent. Hitomi's comment earlier that day had caused the girl to feel insecure about attaining victory against Mokujin. If it really _was_ just a training dummy then it could definitely take a beating, and although Asuka reveled in fighting, eventually she'd get tired.

But it wasn't as if Mokujin had ever won a King of Iron Fist Tournament...so how difficult could it be, right?

* * *

Jin stood inside the abandoned castle ruins training. He'd never felt more at peace then he did here at night. This is the reason why the Kazama was a bit miffed when he discovered this morning that matches would be taking place in the field not far from here. At least he _was_ miffed...until he saw who was fighting here tonight.

_Asuka Kazama_. The name of course stuck out to Jin – he'd never known of any other Kazamas except for his mother. Jun never really talked about extended family, probably because she wanted to raise Jin away from the rest of society. He'd always blamed Kazuya for turning his mother into someone so extremely introverted; perhaps if she hadn't met him she'd have let Jin interact with other kids during his childhood.

But then again, if Jin's mother hadn't met Kazuya, Jin himself wouldn't even be here. The young man always had a hard time deciding which option sounded better.

It could just be a coincidence – Asuka might not even be related to him at all. He'd prefer that honestly; more family meant more problems, at least from Jin's experience. Still, Jin had definitely felt something when he saw Asuka at the banquet...it was very faint, but it was an aura of some sort. A familiar aura.

One that reminded him of his mother.

Jin stopped his training and looked out towards the field. Asuka would be arriving soon to face Mokujin. Perhaps it would be in his best interest to watch her match from the shadows. He just needed to know if there was someone in his family left who wasn't a complete monster...

...and maybe, just maybe, he'd let them into his life.

* * *

**A/N: **Day 1 is almost complete! Please review!


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Update time! So...a few quick things about this chapter. Firstly, you'll notice that I placed the matches for Day 2 in this chapter. The only real reason for this is because I want you guys to understand how excited I am to write the next day of the tournament (I got some awesome matches lined up for you guys). There is still a little bit of Day 1 left, but I'll make sure to wrap it up in the next chapter. Secondly, one of my reviewers asked me what theme song I think would go well with Hitomi and Asuka's relationship dynamic. This is a good question, and I have an idea for a song I want to use in a future chapter, but right now you can all feel free to associate whatever song you'd like with the two. You can do whatever you want with the story, the fact that you're all reading it is good enough for me! Reviews of course are welcome as always. Read away, my dear Guests!

* * *

**Chapter 11 - Day 1: You Remind Me of Myself**

Hitomi, Asuka, Xiao, Lei, Steve, Hwoarang and Julia made their way back into the hotel lobby. The whole group of 7 seemed pretty tired, save for Asuka, who looked like she had found her second wind on the walk back. Hitomi was happy to see this, seeing as her friend had her match in about an hour. The German stole a glance at the Osakan's face; she definitely looked older than 17, but there were still qualities about her that made her...well..._adorable_, at least in Hitomi's eyes. Something about the fierceness of Asuka's expression, mixed in with her youthfulness made her so incredibly cute...

Hitomi shook her head quickly to try and banish her thoughts, _No! She's your friend! That's all!_

The karateka suddenly grew a bit self conscious from her sudden outburst and hoped that Asuka didn't notice. Thankfully, the younger girl looked like she was almost in a trance of some sort. She seemed so focused that she didn't even seem to recognize Hitomi blantantly staring at her. It was funny, considering that Asuka still had to get ready for her match and make it to her arena on time. Still, Hitomi supposed that Asuka's constant state of determination was a good thing – it was like the girl was always prepared for a fight. The German offhandedly wondered how rough her neighborhood actually was back in her hometown.

"Oi!"

Steve's voice brought Hitomi out of her thoughts (and thankfully, caused her to stop gawking at her friend). The Brit was waving to Paul and Law, who were standing in front of the match-up screen. Law looked miserable; Hitomi feared that the kind man had lost his match today. Paul on the other hand looked sympathetic and had his hand on his friend's back, but Hitomi could see the slightest hint of a smirk on his rough looking face. She smiled a tiny bit – he must have won his own.

"Hey guys," said Paul with a nod, "match winners for today are posted. 'Cept for yours, Asuka."

The group all regarded the screen in front of them with curious eyes. Hitomi was especially curious to see if Kasumi won her match, seeing as they had not seen the kunoichi since lunch earlier that day. The screen flickered a bit as it illuminated more of the lobby:

**Prelimiaries – Round 1 Winners**

_Match 1 – Craig Marduk vs. Anna Williams – Winner: Craig Marduk_

_Match 2 – Wang Jinrei vs. Raven – Winner: Raven_

_Match 3 – Paul Phoenix vs. Ganryu – Winner: Paul Phoenix_

_Match 4 – Marshall Law vs. Lili Rochefort – Winner: Lili Rochefort _

_Match 5 – Yoshimitsu vs. Kasumi – Winner: Kasumi _

_Match 6 – Nina Williams vs. Lee Chaolan – Winner: Nina Williams _

_Match 7 – Feng Wei vs. Eddy Gordo – Winner: Feng Wei _

_Match 8 – Mokujin vs. Asuka Kazama – Winner: N/A _

Before anyone could say anything, Asuka let out an unexpected gasp before walking in front of Marshall and jabbing his chest with her pointer finger. He looked at her with a surprised expression.

"You lost to _Lili_?!"

Law swatted her hand away and crossed his arms, "It was close, okay? That girl is a lot tougher than she looks!"

Asuka shook her head, "Still, I...I can't believe you lost to that annoying rich moron! She's the worst!"

"Hey!" said Paul as he jumped to his friend's defense, "Marshall here's a real good fighter, don't make him feel worse than he already does!"

Asuka suddenly looked at the rest of her friends who were all looking at her with surprised expressions. Since meeting the Osakan, the girl definitely had her moments, but she had never really had such an unexpected outburst – especially towards someone she barely knew like Marshall.

The fiery young girl locked eyes with Hitomi, who's surprise had faded. She was now instead regarding the younger girl with a slightly pitying expression. For some reason, the look the German was giving Asuka suddenly made her even more angry. She shook her head quickly as she stormed off towards the elevator of the hotel.

"Just forget it!"

After a couple moments of tense silence, Hwoarang rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "Uh...what was that about, exactly?"

Steve nodded, "Good question mate...I don't quite get how that Lili girl manages to rile up Asuka so much..."

Hitomi sighed, "I think I know...I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay?"

The rest of the group looked confused, but nodded as they broke off to their respective rooms. The German sighed, knowing that her friend probably wasn't going to react well to what she had to say.

* * *

Hitomi stood outside the door of her and Asuka's hotel room. She wanted to knock for some reason instead of just walking in, but she decided that was stupid and just entered anyway.

The Osakan was kneeling on the ground in front of their beds. She was wearing a traditional Japanese obi and hakama, and on the ground in front of her was a white headband. Hitomi watched silently as Asuka lifted the headband and wrapped it around her forehead, keeping her hair out of her face as she did so.

"Hey."

Asuka jerked around at the sound of the German's voice, "Don't scare me like that, geez."

Hitomi laughed lightly as she sat next to her friend on the floor, "Sorry."

Asuka just sighed as she sat back against one of the beds. Hitomi moved next to her and rested her forearms on her knees. She waited patiently for the Osakan to say whatever was on her mind.

"...Guess that was pretty over-the-top back there, huh?"

The German shrugged, "Maybe a little."

"I just...couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe Lili got through the first round of this tournament."

Hitomi moved to sit in front of Asuka. She placed a gloved hand on Asuka shoulder, prompting the girl to look into Hitomi's big blue eyes.

"Asuka...it's not about the tournament, is it?"

A couple moments of awkward silence passed. Finally, the younger girl looked down at the ground and whispered, "No."

Hitomi released her friend and leaned back on the palm of her hands. She knew that the Osakan would elaborate if she didn't ask anymore questions, and sure enough Asuka finally relented.

"I just...I hate girls like Lili. They think they're all so much better than everyone else just because they can get by on their looks or their money. Lili just happens to have both...it bothers me so much that she apparently has the fighting skills too on top of it all."

Hitomi crossed her arms, "She makes you feel insecure."

Asuka's head snapped up, "Excuse me? No way! I don't want to be anything like _Lili_."

The German shook her head as she went to stand up. She extended her hand to Asuka to help her up, which she took.

"Maybe you don't want to be _exactly _like her, but it's okay to be envious of certain things, Asuka. It doesn't make you a weaker person at all."

Asuka avoided Hitomi's gaze and looked at the clock as she grunted in annoyance, "I'm not jealous of anything about her, Hitomi. And it's already close to 10:30, I'm gonna be late. Later."

The Osakan quickly headed towards the door. Hitomi just shook her head slightly.

"Good luck," she called out as Asuka left. The younger girl didn't respond as she shut the door a bit forcefully. Hitomi sighed and headed towards the bathroom to take a shower.

_I don't think there's anything wrong with you..._

* * *

After a trying and long day, Kasumi decided the best thing to do would just be getting some rest. She felt content with what she had accomplished today, and she didn't have a match tomorrow so she could use that time to gather more information.

The kunoichi was very interested in finding out more about Jin Kazama. Ever since he made his presence known at the banquet, the young man had peaked Kasumi's interest. He seemed like a good-natured person, but still came across as cold. Unlike Kazuya however, Jin didn't seem to _want _to act this way. It seemed more like a need for him – as if he couldn't bring himself to be close to anyone.

Perhaps this had to do with his "_cursed blood". _

The term kept bothering Kasumi...what could that mean? The kunoichi was a firm believer in inner demons and corruption, but it wasn't necessarily something she could easily put a face to. There were a few good specimens – people like Raidou for example.

The red head shook her head fiercely. She hated thinking about that monster.

There was no way Jin was _that_ bad. The only person she had met so far in this tournament who could possibly measure up to how despicable Raidou was appeared to be Kazuya, but even then Kasumi suspected there was more to that man than met the eye as well.

The kunoichi cursed herself for how weak she was being. She needed to be detached from this situation like she promised Raven she would be, but she couldn't help but wonder. Her curiosity was beginning to seem like an obstacle...

Nearing the hotel roof, Kasumi noticed a familiar person leaving the front doors. It was that girl from before...

_Asuka Kazama_

Thinking back to this morning, Kasumi recalled that Asuka had the last match of the day. She wasn't aware of the current time, but nightfall had occurred a while ago and the Osakan looked as though she were dressed to fight. Even if she wasn't Jin, maybe it'd be a good idea to watch another Kazama in action...

The kunoichi turned on her heel and began secretly following Asuka from above.

A little bit of surveillance couldn't hurt before she went to bed.

* * *

Asuka was grumbling to herself as she walked to her match. To a passerby, it probably sounded something along the lines of, "Stupid...jealous...seriously? Ugh...Lili...hate..."

The Osakan loathed the fact that she was in the totally wrong mindset before her match. She was trying to focus and calm herself, but it wasn't working at all. It also didn't help that for some reason she felt like she was being watched, but every time Asuka turned around she didn't see anything suspicious.

She was _so _annoyed right now. The 17 year-old was a bit upset with Hitomi, but she was more upset with herself. After all, it wasn't like the German was wrong...in fact, she was completely right.

Asuka had always been a bit self conscious of her image. She was known as a nosy kid in her hometown; a brat that didn't know when to butt out of other people's affairs. Because of this, Asuka didn't have very many friends, as most of her buds at school usually got sick of her attitude. It wasn't like she necessarily cared about that though; the Kazama had her family and her dojo, and that was more than enough for her.

But still...Hitomi had a point and Asuka knew it. Due to her fierce independence and tomboyish ways, Asuka was rarely perceived at her school as an "ordinary girl". She was more often associated with the guys at her school, and that pissed her off even more. This was because Asuka _was _a girl, and she still liked feminine things. It wasn't _her _fault if her personality didn't necessarily reflect that. It just bothered her _so_ much that people never tried to get to know the girl inside.

The girl that just wanted to be accepted for who she was instead of _constantly _being labeled.

Maybe that was why Asuka had taken so well to Hitomi. The karateka was one of the only people other than her father that Asuka had ever met that seemed to completely understand her. Asuka had to assume that this was because Hitomi was just like her. Instead of dresses or skirts, the German opted to wear Jeans and tank tops. Instead of working for hours on elaborate hairstyles, Hitomi always just wore her silky light brown hair down with that cute little pink headband of hers.

And yet, the thing that made the two girls different was that Hitomi still had an obvious girlish quality about her. Asuka hated herself for admitting it, but she envied that _so much. _She didn't know how Hitomi saw her, but she was sure it wasn't the way Asuka had often found herself thinking of her friend in return.

She had stopped fighting it...she realized it was useless. Asuka knew now why she was so attracted to the German – it was because Hitomi made her feel happy about herself. Hitomi made her feel like she didn't need to prove herself to anyone.

It was because Hitomi made her feel like she was just the regular girl she wanted _so badly _to be seen as.

And in addition to all that...the karateka was really damn _**hot.**_

Smirking to herself, Asuka picked up the pace to Moonlit Wilderness. Thinking of Hitomi had definitely made her feel better, and now she was ready to kick some serious wooden ass.

...or whatever the hell Mokujin was.

* * *

Jin looked at his pocketwatch – it read 10:56PM. If Asuka didn't arrive soon, she'd be eliminated from the tournament. A faint noise in the distance caught the Kazama's attention. Gazing around the wall from the shadows, Jin didn't see Asuka, but Mokujin.

The 2000-year old training dummy looked like it was wandering aimlessly. If it could make expressions, it would have probably looked pathetically confused. Mokujin eventually stopped looking around the lush fields and stood completely still. All was quiet for a couple of tense moments until...

_Plop._

The training dummy collapsed onto the ground, as if all the life from it's body had suddenly been drained. Jin rolled his eyes; that's probably exactly what happened. Glancing at his watch again, Jin saw that it was now 11:00PM. Asuka had 5 minutes. He began to grow impatient until...

"Moooookujin! Mooooookujin! Where are ya, bud!"

Jin looked up and finally saw his younger relative entering the moonlit fields. She looked determined, but the male Kazama found himself a tiny bit annoyed at the air of arrogance she held around her. It was very...unlike a Kazama.

Asuka was still wandering around looking for Mokujin, and she was starting to get seriously annoyed.

"This is a waste of my time..." muttered the Osakan under her breath, "They should just give me a free pass! I'm the one who showed up! What a lame way to-"

The girl stopped in her tracks as she finally saw her opponent standing before her. For a moment, it just stood there staring at her with it's big glowing red eyes. Then suddenly, it put up it's wooden arms and got into a fighting stance.

Asuka's eyes widened, "It was actually true...you're actually a freakin' training dummy!"

Mokujin still didn't make any noise, but started advancing slowly towards the Japanese girl. Asuka grinned and got into her stance.

"Don't think this will be easy, you wooden idiot. Let's go!"

* * *

After her shower, Hitomi had gotten ready for bed. She was tired, but for some reason, sleep wasn't coming easy to her. She looked at the vacant bed beside her own and sighed.

She didn't mean to make Asuka upset right before her match. The Osakan didn't seem too mad, but Hitomi couldn't help but feel bad anyhow. It was just something the German needed to say; Asuka reminded Hitomi so much of herself and what she used to be like before she met Hayate.

Before discovering the ninja in the Black Forest, Hitomi constantly battled with issues of self consciousness. She remembered standing in front of her mirror at home in her usual outfits for what seemed like hours, deciding whether or not she should sacrifice her comfort just so she could fit in. The worst it had ever gotten was right before she had found Hayate – at that point, Hitomi had been secretly considering quitting karate.

The German laughed out loud bitterly in the empty hotel room. She had been so insecure back then that it almost sickened her now to think about it. She was always so thankful for finding Hayate back then, mainly because he was able to make Hitomi feel like herself while still feeling like a woman. The ninja was the only person other than Hitomi's parents who was able to make her feel that way, and that was the best feeling that she had ever felt in her entire life. People probably thought that the karateka was obsessed with the man formely known as Ein, but the feeling of acceptance he provided her with was one she never wanted to let go.

Then he left.

She didn't hate him for it anymore. She did when it first happened, but she was naïve back then. The younger Hitomi didn't understand that she needed to feel the way Hayate made her feel by _herself. _He had his life and she had her's, and while she _was_ heartbroken, she was also happy for him when he got his life back. The two simply weren't meant to be together, but Hayate had taught her to love herself before loving anyone else – and that was something he'd given her that she would always cherish forever.

It saddened Hitomi that Asuka hadn't found someone like that yet. She didn't need a lover, maybe not even a close friend, she just needed someone to open her eyes to how great she really was. Even though Hitomi hadn't known her very long, the German felt like she could be that person. They shared a connection through their common insecurities...maybe that was why the German always felt so happy around Asuka.

The girl wasn't _like_ a slightly younger version of herself, she _was _one.

While her thoughts had made Hitomi feel a bit better about getting into a small argument with Asuka, it did nothing to help her fall asleep. Groaning in frustration, the karateka got out of her bed and decided to go see if any of her friends were awake.

After a moment of contemplation, Hitomi decided to visit Xiao. The Chinese girl's room was on the main floor of the hotel, so Hitomi tiredly walked towards the elevator and entered it.

When the automatic doors opened, Hitomi rubbed her eyes slightly and exited the small compartment. She was about to continue down the hallway when she noticed the person she was looking for standing in the lobby.

Xiaoyu was standing alone in the vacant room staring blankly at the match up screen. She was clad in pajamas adorned with pandas and was holding a bucket of ice. Hitomi furrowed her brow in confusion; Xiao was with them when they first got back to the hotel...why was she back here looking at the screen?

"Uh...Xiao?"

The Chinese girl turned around and looked at Hitomi with a solemn expression, "Hey."

The karateka scratched the back of her head awkwardly, "You okay?"

"They posted the matches for tomorrow after everyone left to go to bed. I came to get some ice for my room and noticed..."

"Really?!"

Hitomi perked up and immediately ran to the screen. She thought she would have to wait until tomorrow to see who she was fighting! The screen silently stared back at her as the German begun scanning the match-ups. Suddenly, she realized why Xiao looked so sad.

**Match-Ups for Day 2 – Preliminaries (Group 2)**

_Match 1 (9:00AM) – Hitomi Heinrich vs. Bruce Irvin – Zaibatsu Arena_

_Match 2 (11:00AM) – Sergei Dragunov vs. Bryan Fury – Waterfall _

_Match 3 (1:00PM) – Hwoarang vs. Christie Monteiro – Poolside _

_Match 4 (3:00PM) – Lei Wulong vs. Baek Doo San – Dragon's Nest_

_Match 5 (5:00PM) – King vs. Roger Jr. – Secret Garden_

_Match 6 (7:00PM) – Steve Fox vs. Julia Chang – Crimson Sunset_

_Match 7 (9:00PM) – Jin Kazama vs. Ling Xiaoyu_

_Match 8 (11:00PM) – Kazuya Mishima vs. Jack-5 – Moonlit Wilderness_

Hitomi put a hand on the younger girl's shoulder, "Xiao..."

Xiaoyu shook her head defiantly, "No. I'm not backing down. I have a plan to save Jin and his family, so if I have to beat him to do it, fine."

Hitomi sighed. She knew she wouldn't be able to sway Xiao. Hell, she pretty much did the same thing in the third Dead or Alive tournament with Hayate...

"Good luck Xiao."

The Chinese girl perked up again at Hitomi's words and turned back to the screen, "Say, you know that Bruce guy? Never heard that name before..."

Hitomi shook her head, "Nope. Never heard of him either. I'm sure it'll be a good match!"

"You nervous at all?" asked Xiao sheepishly.

The German laughed, "Nah. I don't get nervous easily. Never have."

Xiao pouted, "Lucky. I'm not usually nervous for fights...but this one's got me a bit antsy if I'm being honest..."

"At least you're not fighting that Kazuya guy."

Xiao gritted her teeth, "Yeah."

Hitomi quirked an eyebrow, noticing Xiao's anger rise, "Wonder what he's been up to all day..."

The Chinese girl noticeably calmed herself down and began walking back to her room, "Like I care. Look, I'm gonna get to bed. You should too! You gotta kick someone's butt bright and early tomorrow!"

The karateka chuckled and waved to the girl as she left, "You bet! See you tomorrow Xiao!"

After Xiao retired back to her room, Hitomi glanced back at the screen with curious eyes. She was about to go back to bed when she suddenly heard a dark voice behind her...

"Bruce Irvin...never thought I'd hear that name again."

The German whipped around and came face to face with one of the last people she expected to see.

"Kazuya?"

* * *

"Guh!"

Asuka stumbled back and held her stomach as she directed a glare at Mokujin. The training dummy tilted its head slightly as if it was asking, "Are you alright?"

Mokujin wasn't necessarily a difficult opponent persay. It was _**many **_difficult opponents. Asuka still had a fair amount of energy, but she was beginning to get very frustrated with this fight. Every time she started gaining the upper hand on her opponent, Mokujin seemed to just randomly switch fighting styles. It was like it knew every fighting style known to man!

The good news was that every strike Asuka _did_ land on the training dummy seemed to affect it somehow. It didn't make any noise, but it seemed to wince and flinch in pain from her attacks. The Osakan held onto that fact, knowing that sooner or later the thing had to go down...

...still, she couldn't help but feel like she got the short end of the stick with this match.

Suddenly, Mokujin lunged at Asuka with a flurry of kicks, which was confusing considering just a moment ago it was fighting almost like a boxer.

Reacting quickly, Asuka moved out of the way and grabbed one of the dummy's legs, throwing it off balance and forcing it to the ground. The Osakan then moved to grab Mokujin's arm, but it quickly rolled away and created distance between them once again. Asuka stood still and crossed her arms, silently watching her opponent with a bored expression.

"Coward."

Mokujin stood up straight suddenly and thrust it's arms out to the sides, and Asuka watched with a dumbfounded expression as it's head started rotating in a full 360 degrees on it's shoulders.

"What the..."

As soon as the strange spectacle was over, Mokujin nodded, as if it was happy with itself. Asuka assumed that this meant it had chose yet another new fighting style. She narrowed her eyes at the training dummy – time for a more smart approach.

* * *

Jin watched silently as Asuka battled Mokujin. He had conflicting emotions concerning the fight; on the one hand, Jin admired that Asuka used his mother's fighting style. He recalled fondly the days of learning the _White Heron Dance _from his mother back when he was growing up, and was glad to see it being used again. On the other hand however, Asuka's fighting style seemed to lack the gracefulness of his mother's. This was no doubt caused because of the girl's brash personality. Jin sighed; if Asuka could only lose the arrogance, there was no question that a very talented girl lay underneath.

The young man was broken from his thoughts when he heard a faint noise on the other side of the ruins. He turned around quickly.

There was no one there, but the Kazama still detected a decidedly foreign aura close to him.

"Who's there? Show yourself."

There was a moment of silence before a girl stepped out from the shadows. She had auburn hair that was tied up in a ponytail with a blue ribbon, and was wearing what looked to be some kind of ninja garb – like something Yoshimitsu might wear, but _much_ simpler. The girl was holding up her hands in front of her to prove she didn't want trouble. Jin just crossed his arms and remained silent.

The girl took a step towards him, "I am sorry for sneaking up on you. My name is Kasumi. I was hoping I could speak with you about some things, Jin."

* * *

**A/N: **Whew! Going to bed now...I'm sure I'll be dreaming of some more wonderful reviews from my glorious readers! Until next time!


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Hello readers! I'm back with another update. Sorry this one took a bit longer, I've been SWAMPED with work, school stuff and boring financial crap about my income tax returns...it's not very interesting. This chapter however is! At least I'm hoping it is...be sure to let me know in the form of reviews!

* * *

**Chapter 12 - Day 1: You Kinda Creep Me Out**

"I'm not interested in talking to you."

Jin abruptly turned his back to Kasumi and resumed watching Asuka's match with Mokujin. The kunoichi was a bit taken back by his sudden dismissive behavior, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't expecting it on some degree.

"Please," Kasumi began, "I would just like to know what your reasons are for entering the tournament."

Jin didn't turn around but after a couple moments his soft voice broke through the tense silence.

"...Why?"

Kasumi had to think fast. She of course couldn't explain her real reasons for questioning the young man, but Jin seemed like a guy who wouldn't be fooled easily.

"I'm friends with a girl I believe you know. Ling Xiaoyu?"

There was more silence for what seemed like forever. Kasumi didn't say anything, but the more time passed, the more she began cursing herself for what she was beginning to think was a pretty terrible lie. Well, it wasn't a _complete _lie; Kasumi had in fact talked to Xiaoyu here and there during lunch, but nowhere near enough for them to be considered friends yet. Barely acquaintances.

The moment soon turned from tense to awkward, and Kasumi sighed as she turned to leave. Perhaps Jin had just decided to ignore her. She would have just left it at that and tried to get something out of him another day, but then...

"Xiao must leave here immidiately."

Kasumi turned back around. Thankfully, Jin had finally decided to face her. His hood however was up, obsucring his face from the kunoichi somewhat. She could only see the young man's almost abnormally long bangs.

"Why don't you want her to compete?"

Jin let out a small sigh, "This tournament is not what it seems. You would do well to leave as well. In fact, I still have no idea who you are."

The Kazama looked up into Kasumi's eyes then, his deep brown eyes almost piercing her own auburn orbs.

"Like I said, I am a friend of Xiaoyu's. From school."

Jin didn't say anything, but his expressionless face developed slightly into one of annoyance. Kasumi sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to lie anymore.

"I am a kun-"

"Her identity is unimportant. You already know her name, that's more than enough."

Ryu stood behind both of them, still partially in the shadows of the ruins. Kasumi looked a bit startled, but Jin didn't move a muscle. He let out a single, humourless laugh when he saw the Hayabusa's attire.

"So you're both ninjas."

Ryu crossed his arms, saying nothing. Kasumi felt like she was caught in some kind of crossfire.

"Um..."

"Kasumi, we're leaving.

The kunoichi sighed, knowing that Ryu was going to be upset once again. She nodded to her guardian and turned to face Jin one last time.

"I hope we meet again, Jin."

Jin said nothing and watched the two ninjas disappear in a plethora of green and pink. He shook his head and turned back to the fight.

Asuka appeared to be winning, but also appeared incredibly tired. Mokujin was currently on the ground, but soon got up and looked rather unaffected. Though he was quite a bit of distance away, Jin suddenly heard the Osakan yell out in annoyance.

"What the hell, man! This is SO unfair! Why won't you stay down!"

Mokujin just stared blankly at the frustrated teenager. Asuka looked dumbfounded and lost in regards of what to do next. Jin just sighed to himself. Perhaps he was wrong about this girl.

Maybe there wasn't a talented fighter underneath...maybe they weren't even related...

...and maybe that was for the best.

* * *

The lobby of the hotel was another place that was extremely tense at the moment. There was complete silence except for the faint humming of a couple vending machines against the walls.

Hitomi was quite literally at a loss for words as Kazuya Mishima stood opposite her. He had his arms crossed and was regarding the German with a slightly unimpressed expression. Kazuya's red eye was unnerving her to the point where Hitomi had to actually conciously focus on breathing normally. To make matters worse, Kazuya was in a pretty expensive looking business suit, while Hitomi was clad in pajamas which may or may not have been covered in tomatoes and cabbages.

Finally after what seemed like hours, Kazuya gave Hitomi a small smirk, "You were at the banquet with that pitiful Xiaoyu and her pathetic group of friends. A new face though...your name would be?"

The karateka was of course upset with the way Kazuya regarded the new friends she had made since coming here, but she also knew that the Mishima definitely didn't care enough to hold his tongue. She composed herself enough to narrow her eyes at him.

"Hitomi Heinrich."

Kazuya quirked an eyebrow, "Heinrich...I see. You'd better hope your skills match that of your father's."

"Just wait," replied Hitomi, her shock from seeing Kazuya starting to wear off.

Kazuya's smirk widened slightly, but he remained silent. Hitomi was now directing a full glare towards the man, which he seemed to be enjoying too much. Even though she barely knew him, Kazuya was almost pissing off the German more than Feng...

...which was saying something considering the fact that it normally took _a lot _to piss her off.

The Mishima must have noticed Hitomi's rising anger, since his face contorted to one of what was surely only mock-confusion.

"Have I done something to upset you, Hitomi?" he asked sarcastically.

The German clenched her fists, "Well for starters, you talk about Xiao like she's worthless and you're a total jerk to your son."

Hitomi was expecting Kazuya to at least try and defend himself somewhat, or maybe just laugh in her face...

...she wasn't expecting him to just shrug and say, "So?"

Hitomi gaped at the man, "You don't see why that's wrong...?"

The Mishima's face finally lost the arrogant smirk completely and was replaced with an expression of complete seriousness.

"What is 'wrong', Hitomi? Is it 'wrong' to save a girl the pain of giving herself completely to an emotion that will do nothing but cause her to drown in her own sadness? Xiaoyu yearns for my fool of a son so blindly that she is completely ignorant to the demon within him. Jin shares my affliction, but does not wish to embrace it. That makes him weak, and the weak do not deserve a place in this world."

Hitomi furrowed her brow, utterly baffled by Kazuya's warped logic in regards to life and morals. There was only one thing she got from his little rant that she was able to question clearly.

"...What 'affliction' are you talking about?"

Kazuya let out a dry laugh, "Hmph. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into by entering this tournament. My advice to you is to take care of whatever it is you're here for and leave."

The German's glare returned to the Mishima's retreating figure as he walked away. Before she could say anything however, Kazuya suddenly stopped in his tracks as he turned back around.

"One last thing," he started darkly, "tell that Kazama girl to stay out of Jin and my own affairs. I get the impression that brat doesn't know how to mind her own business. It would be a shame if anything were to happen to her."

With that, Kazuya disappeared down the hallway of one of the hotel corridors. Hitomi sighed in annoyance; the man just appeared out of nowhere and had left her with a ton of questions, and she had no idea who to look to for answers. The German dejectedly headed back to her room.

Focusing for her match tomorrow now seemed like a much more daunting task.

* * *

For what must have been the tenth time at least, Mokujin landed on the soft grass with a hard _thud. _Asuka had her gloved hands resting on her knees and she was breathing heavily with her head hung low.

"Please..." she muttered, "Please don't get back up..."

And for a moment, the Osakan thought she had finally won. All that could be heard in the moonlit fields were the quiet rustling of Mokujin's chains...

...but then it got back up. Again.

Asuka slumped to the ground on her knees and hit the grass with her fist, "Am I even hurting you? This feels so pointless..."

The Osakan looked up at her opponent then. Instead of advancing towards her again, Mokujin just stood there watching her, though it _was_ in it's fighting stance. It looked like it was waiting for the girl to get up, but really, who the hell knew?

Asuka's cheeks were slightly tinged with red – a sign that she was becoming utterly exhausted. Her muscles were already a little too tight for her liking from watching Feng's match, and were now aching almost everywhere. This was leaving Asuka at a severe disadvantage against Mokujin, who didn't even have muscles to worry about.

She was growing more envious of that fact by the second.

"_It'll probably be a test of endurance for you." _

Hitomi was right; Mokujin couldn't feel pain, and if it could, it felt it for maybe 2-3 seconds before the pain disappeared completely. This meant that continuing to fight the dummy head on relentlessly was pointless. Asuka had to find a way to incapacitate her wooden opponent somehow so that it couldn't get back up, thus making her the victor of this stupid match.

The Osakan was still grounded, but was thinking hard about how to achieve this goal. Her eyes instantly went to Mokujin's chains. The dummy had 6 in total – 2 on its forearms, 2 on its waist and 2 on its ankles.

Getting up slowly, Asuka analyzed each chain closely. While 5 of the chains ended with complete rings, Mokujin's left forearm chain's end ring was broken, creating a sort of hook instead. If she could hook that onto on of its ankle chains...

Asuka smirked and resumed her stance, "I've gotcha now, Mokujin. Come on."

As if on command, Mokujin charged at the Osakan. It appeared Asuka's luck was finally changing, as the dummy came in fast with a left hook – exactly what she needed it to do.

Quickly dodging the punch easily, Asuka grabbed Mokujin forearm with one hand and snatched its chain with the other. She then used her leg to trip her opponent while still holding it's arm and the chain. With both of her arms currently occupied, Asuka used her knee to hold Mokujin down as she attempted to twist its arm awkwardly and hook the broken chain with its right ankle.

It was a difficult task. Mokujin struggled endlessly beneath Asuka's weight, almost as if it knew what she was planning to do – perhaps this had happened to the dummy in the past. Despite having to use almost all of her strength to force the chains together, Asuka had to smirk. This whole struggle probably looked utterly ridiculous to anyone watching.

Asuka grunted loudly as she attempted with all of her strength to connect the chains.

"Come...ugh...on...just a little bit...guh...more..."

The hook was almost in place...just one final _big_ tug and...

_**Snap! **_

As soon as she released her grip on the chains, Asuka rolled off Mokujin and onto her back. Despite having next to no energy left, the Osakan forced herself to stand up and see if her efforts paid off.

They did.

Mokujin looked absolutely absurd as it rolled around helplessly on the ground. It's left wooden arm had been successfully attached to its right wooden leg, and because it had iron balls instead of hands, Mokujin couldn't unhook itself. All it could do was roll around for a couple more pathetic moments until finally, the life left it's body and it stopped moving all together.

Asuka let out a sigh of relief, and immediately after burst out laughing as she collapsed onto the soft grass.

"Serves you right you wooden pain in the ass!"

After a couple minutes of well earned rest on the quiet grass, Asuka got up and unhooked the now lifeless Mokujin. She then knelt down and patted it's wooden head.

"You were probably one of the most annoying opponents I've ever fought, and you can't even talk. You should be proud of that. Later."

Standing up with a smug grin on her face, Asuka took a moment to have a couple more breathers before turning around to leave the area...

...and walk straight into Jin.

* * *

Kasumi and Ryu appeared in a field far away from the main part of the city. This place looked more rural, which was a bit strange to see in such a mainland part of Tokyo.

The kunoichi said nothing as Hayabusa walked a few feet in front of her slowly. She was looking down at the ground sheepishly when he finally turned to face her. After a moment, Kasumi hesitantly brought her eyes to meet Ryu's.

The super ninja had his arms crossed and looked a bit imposing, but his green eyes betrayed how he really felt. Kasumi noticed that he just looked...worried.

"Kasumi..."

The kunoichi shook her head, "Jin plays a big part in this Ryu. I don't know exactly what that part is yet but-"

"You've gotten yourself involved in something very dangerous, Kasumi. Going directly to what very well could be the source of all the evil surrounding this tournament was rather idiotic."

Kasumi gasped, "I...I was just trying to get more info-"

Her guardian put up a hand, silencing the kunoichi, "I know what you were trying to do, but we must be smart about this. Do you really think that man would have told you anything considering the way you approached him? We are ninjas; our job is to observe from the shadows until it is necessary for us to act."

Kasumi sighed. Hayabusa was completely correct and she knew it. She also knew however, that it wasn't necessarily a mistake for her to just walk up to Jin the way she did. She had _wanted_ to do that. She almost couldn't help herself...

...it was her damn curiosity over the situation! Her emotions were becoming a very large obstacle with this mission, and for some reason they were growing by the hour – especially concerning Jin.

The young man had such a powerful aura, but he just seemed so...sad. He was always alone, and if he wasn't then he didn't stay with people for very long. Kasumi just wanted _so _badly to know what had happened to him in the past.

"Ryu...there is more to him than meets the eye. I feel there are a limited number of ways we can go about finding out more about Jin. I wasn't even following him to begin with...I was following Asuka, the other Kazama."

The super ninja sighed, "I'm aware of this, but I am thinking it would be best if you stayed as inconspicuous as possible with this mission. Act as you are with the German girl and this 'Asuka'...and become closer with the Chinese girl as well. She knows more about Jin, and being around her will be much safer."

Kasumi suddenly felt herself getting rather annoyed with Hayabusa. He was coming across as almost...overbearing.

"I don't need constant protection. I can defend myself, Ryu."

Ryu turned around and looked into the distance, "I promised your brother that no danger will come to you. I will honour that promise, even if it means I must force you to stay out of harm's way."

The kunoichi clenched her fists tightly for a moment in anger, but the feeling soon dissipated when she came to a certain realization:

**_She stood no chance against Ryu Hayabusa._**

Relaxing herself, Kasumi nodded slowly, "I will do as you ask."

Ryu turned back to her, his emerald eyes once again softening at Kasumi's defeated expression. He walked up to the kunoichi and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you, Kasumi. I will keep a closer eye on any suspicious characters in this tournament, while you focus on getting anything you can from your new friends. Then together, we will bring our findings back to Raven."

Kasumi just looked up at her guardian and gave him a gentle smile, "Yeah."

Even though his mask was on, Kasumi knew that Ryu was smiling back at her. All was quiet for a moment until the ninjas heard rustling nearby. Ryu quickly ducked down behind the tall grass. Kasumi followed without a second thought.

In the distance, an elderly man was limping through the vast fields. His clothes were tattered and singed, and he had nasty looking gashes and cuts all over the visible parts of his body. As he got a bit closer to the ninjas, his identity became clear as day.

Kasumi had to bring her hands over her mouth to prevent her from gasping in surprise. Ryu stayed completely still, but his green eyes visibly widened at the sight.

Heihachi Mishima was somehow walking after being in an explosion just over a week ago with no medical assistance.

And by the looks of it, he was utterly _pissed._

* * *

"Uh...hey."

"Follow me."

Jin began walking back towards the ruins in the distance of the moonlit wilderness. Asuka felt obligated for some reason to actually do what he said and follow him instead of walking back to the hotel.

Jogging up to his side, Asuka placed her hands casually behind her head, "So, Jin...Where are we going exactly?"

Jin said nothing and kept looking straight ahead. If he hadn't been the one to approach Asuka, he could have probably fooled any bystander into thinking he didn't even know she was there.

The younger Kazama just sighed in annoyance, "Ugh! What is your problem man? You're the one who came up to me, remember?"

"We are going to those ruins. It is where I'm staying currently."

Asuka pointed straight ahead and furrowed her brow, "There? You know you probably have a room at the hotel like the rest of us, right? It's so nice too, way better than the few I've-"

"I do not belong there."

"Uh..." began the Osakan awkwardly, "...why's that? I mean I bet Xiao would really love it if you were hanging out with us."

The two finally arrived at the foot of the castle ruins. Jin stopped and turned to Asuka.

"I witnessed your match against Mokujin. You're strategy was very clever."

Asuka smiled sheepishly as the two entered what was left of the building, "Oh, heh, thanks."

There was silence for a while as the two Kazamas climbed to the second floor of the castle. There were stairs, but they seemed to be unstable and destroyed in places and Asuka would rather not risk serious injury if it wasn't during a match.

When they finally arrived, Jin sat against the wall of the building and removed his hood. Asuka just looked at him for a couple moments. His eyes were the same chocolatey brown as her own, though his hair was midnight black while she was a brunette.

"You must be tired," said Jin suddenly, "sit down for a while."

While it was only a suggestion, for some reason Asuka felt like it was a demand. Jin's voice, while soft, had some kind of...distant tone to it. It unnerved her a bit.

"Uh, yeah, sure."

The Osakan slowly sat against the same wall as Jin, though she was sure to put a fair amount of distance between them. The older Kazama seemed to notice this and smiled at her.

"I'm sorry if I frighten you."

Asuka, being the independent and brash girl that she was, naturally took offense to Jin's comment.

"Are you kidding me? There was just more light here! I'm not _scared _of you; see?"

She abruptly got up and planted herself right next Jin, "Not scared at all. Why would I be?"

Jin couldn't help it, he had to laugh. Hearing it after so long was a strange sound, even to him, but Asuka had somehow made it come so easily to him for the first time in a while. Of course, the fiery young girl took offense to this as well...

"What are ya laughing at?"

Jin took a few moments to compose himself before shaking his head, "I apologize, but you are just so peculiar to me. There is much evidence to suggest we are related, but I have never heard of a Kazama that acts like you do before. It is...strange."

Asuka sighed, "Yeah...cause we're all supposed to act a certain way, right?"

The male Kazama glanced at Asuka for a moment before gazing back out towards the immense fields, "I suppose you have a point, Asuka."

Silence once again fell over the two. This one however felt more awkward, and Asuka was looking for some way to break it.

"So why do you think we're related? I mean I know we sorta look alike but..."

"You fight like my mother."

Asuka started, "O-oh. Sorry, I just sort of assumed you were...well...I mean..."

As the girl awkwardly fumbled her words, Jin stood up suddenly and walked into the middle of the room where the moonlight shone through the ceiling. He looked up and gazed up into the night sky, almost longingly.

"She is no longer with us. As far as I'm concerned, I have no family left."

Asuka stood up too but stayed leaning against the wall, "I'm sorry to hear that...but I mean there's that Kazuya guy-"

Jin whipped around and looked at the younger Kazama with a stern expression, "I have no family left."

The Osakan swallowed hard under his gaze, "...right."

Jin sighed and looked rather guilty for his slight outburst, "I'm sorry...it's just...this is new to me."

"What is?" asked Asuka, walking towards him slowly.

The young man hung his head slowly, "Opening up...I've been alone for a long time."

More silence. Asuka was suddenly torn on what to do. She didn't know if Jin wanted comfort right now, or if he just wanted someone to talk to. Either or, she had already left the wall and returning to it now would look awkward...

_Ah...what the hell..._

Asuka walked up to Jin and wrapped her arms around him. He tensed, clearly surprised by what was occuring, but after a couple more awkward moments he slowly brought his arms up to rest on the younger Kazama's back.

He was suddenly filled with a feeling of gentleness. As Asuka embraced him, Jin felt as though the demon he was constantly battling within him had subsided, if only for a moment.

It was at that point that Jin realized that they were definitely related. Asuka was _definitely_ family.

"You don't have to open up to me, in fact I'd prefer if you didn't," Asuka broke the hug but kept her hands on Jin's broad shoulders, "You kinda creep me out anyway."

Jin gently removed her hands, but allowed his relative a small smile, "You should probably get back. It's late."

Asuka looked up at the sky and sighed, "Yeah...Looks like I'll be walking all the way back too."

She started towards the hole where they had climbed through, but suddenly stopped when she heard Jin's voice.

"Wait."

Asuka turned around expectantly. Jin had put his hood back up and was regarding her with a soft expression, though it had otherwise reverted back to being emotionless.

"Don't tell anyone I'm staying here."

The Osakan crossed her heart with her gloved fingers, "No worries, Jin. Feel free to sit alone in this trash can all ya want."

Jin smiled, "Thank you, Asuka."

The younger Kazama just smirked at him as she turned around and climbed back down to the base of the building. As soon as she reached the fields again, she began jogging back in the direction of the hotel. Jin just watched her as she left until she was out of view.

He then let out a sigh before turning his attention back to the stars.

**A/N:** DAY 1 IS COMPLETE! Once again, sorry this update took a bit longer. I'll try and make sure the next one at least comes within this week for you guys! I've got a super busy day tomorrow, so I'll only be back on my laptop at night. It'd be great if I received some reviews in the meantime! Also, I hope you guys enjoyed the fight with Mokujin...I was wracking my brain for so long trying to figure out how to write that scene...Until next time!


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **Hello everyone! Back again for another update...to be completely honest I'm getting a bit sick of doing Author's notes over and over, so I've decided that from now on I'll just be using them when I feel the need to clarify things for certain chapters - there won't be one for every chapter anymore cause I'm lazy :P Also, to the one reviewer who said my story deserves more favourites and follows, you're so nice! I don't really care about that, as long as I know people are reading and enjoying this story, that's good enough for me! Also, I finally found a good song to use for Hitomi and Asuka! I love Amy Winehouse (R.I.P) Valerie is a great song...take a listen: watch?v=zMzN9sIFI9g

**Chapter 13 – Day 2: Valerie**

"_...Cause since I come on home, well my body's been a mess, and I miss your tender hair, and the way you like to dress..."_

Asuka jerked awake to the muffled, but loud sound of her roomate singing in the shower. Groaning, the Osakan rolled over and grabbed her phone from the night table beside her bed. It read 6:40am.

"How does she have this much energy right now..." Asuka muttered to herself in annoyance.

"_...Won't ya come on over...stop making a fool outta meeeeeee, why don't you come on over, Valerie!" _

Asuka pulled the sides of her pillow over her ears, "Shut up! Geez..."

Despite her annoyance, the Osakan had to smile. Hitomi's carefree attitude was rather charming at times, and even though she was _so _tired after everything that happened last night, Asuka had to admit that it was nice to wake up to her voice rather than her phone's blaring alarm clock.

It really was an interesting and complicated first day for Asuka, and what happened with Jin near the end of the night only served to confuse her more. She hadn't told Hitomi about it; she figured the German didn't need to know or be bothered with information like that anyhow – especially considering her match was this morning. In fact, when she had returned to the hotel Hitomi was already asleep; the two hadn't actually spoken since Asuka had left for her match last night.

"_Are you shopping anywhere? Change the colour of your hair? Are ya busy?" _

Asuka rolled her eyes as her friend's slightly off-key singing voice once again broke her thoughts.

"Guess I'm not getting back to sleep..."

Reluctantly, the Osakan dragged herself out of bed. Looking down at herself, she blushed slightly in embarrassment...

...she still had on her fighting outfit from yesterday. Her obi was incredibly dirty and her hakama wasn't fairing much better. Luckily, it seemed that she had the good sense to take off her headband before passing out last night.

"_Valerie! Valerrieee! Vaaaaalerie!" _

Instead of getting out of her dirty clothes, Asuka just decided to wait until Hitomi got out of the shower so she could clean herself up a bit first. Taking a moment to stretch her back in order to work out some of the kinks, Asuka dragged her feet lazily to the mirror above a desk across from her and Hitomi's beds.

Even though she always felt proud of herself for the most part, the reflection that stared back at Asuka begged to differ. It was hugging itself around the waist with a frown on it's face and it looked rather unimpressed with itself, which caused Asuka to groan in annoyance.

"Why can't I just be happy with myself..."

"Nice choice of pajamas."

Immediately, Asuka dropped her arms as she noticed Hitomi in her reflection. She was seriously hoping that her friend hadn't heard what she had just said. In fact, Asuka was about to berate the German for sneaking up on her, but then she noticed her friend's appearance...

Hitomi was clad in a towel and...well that was it. Despite her lack of modesty, the towel seemed pretty secure and didn't look like it'd be falling anytime soon. Especially with it being supported on those rather...supportive...supports that Hitomi was boasting on her chest. A few droplets of water were still running slowly down the karateka's shoulders and arms, which she didn't seem to notice. Her damp brunette hair was of course lacking it's usual pink headband and was sort of all over the place.

The Osakan just stood there with her feet planted to the ground as Hitomi walked up beside her in front of the mirror.

"Aren't we just sexy?"

Asuka wanted to say, _you actually do look really fucking hot right now, _but instead what came out was, "You have a terrible singing voice."

Hitomi suddenly gasped looked down at the floor with a faint blush, "You heard that eh..."

"The whole hotel probably did," replied and amused Asuka.

"The shower was so loud...guess I got a bit carried away, heh."

The Osakan laughed, "So who's Valerie?"

Hitomi chuckled as she left the mirror and headed towards her dresser, "A friend of Amy Winehouse. I heard they had a thing for a while."

Asuka turned around and leaned her forearms back on the table, "Never been a fan of American music."

The German laughed lightly as she fished a pair of black underwear from her top drawer, "She's English. Show's how much you know. American music is decent too though...sometimes."

Asuka swallowed hard, as she realized what was going to happen next here, "Uh, did you want me to leave or turn around or something?"

Hitomi looked at her for a moment with an amused grin on her face, "Up to you. I won't be offended or anything, but I'm also completely comfortable here. We're friends!"

For the slightest moment, Asuka felt her heart drop a bit at what her friend just said. Shaking it off quickly, she turned to make her way to the now unoccupied bathroom.

"Yeah, but I gotta get all cleaned up anyway. Wanna get breakfast together once I get out?"

The still-covered Hitomi nodded happily, "Ofcourse! Plus we can take the liberty of waking up everyone else with _your _awesome singing voice, since you already got to hear mine."

Asuka snorted, "Yeah, right. Singing ain't my cup of tea, Tomi. Don't expect to hear anything while I'm in here."

With that the Osakan abruptly entered the bathroom and closed the door. Hitomi heard the sound of running water moments later, so she decided to finally shed the towel and put on her undergarments. As she was looking for a decent training outfit to wear, the German couldn't help but laugh at the image of Asuka's heavily accented English singing Valerie. Stopping suddenly, a smile formed slowly on the karateka's face.

_Did she call me 'Tomi'?_

* * *

"_Now is not the time, Kasumi."_

That's what Ryu had told the kunoichi when she proposed they follow Heihachi. She was truly and utterly baffled by his continued existence after that explosion, but he didn't really look like he was in any condition to fight – the whole ordeal had definitely still taken its toll on the old man.

Though she would never put it this way out loud, Kasumi wanted to confront the Mishima to simply...finish the job. From what she had heard, Heihachi Mishima really didn't fair much better than Donovan, if he even did at all. He was known as a ruthless man that was always working to achieve his own ends no matter what the cost, and many people looked at him as the sole reason as to why Kazuya Mishima was so warped today. Though Kasumi didn't know much about the Mishimas, she didn't have a hard time believing that was true, especially after witnessing Kazuya's cold personality first hand the other night.

Hayabusa had stopped her however, expressing that while Heihachi's survival was indeed a good lead concerning the one responsible for running this tournament, confronting him right then would have caused more problems than it was worth. Heihachi might have been severely injured, but he was still a Mishima and Mishimas never went down easy - the explosion at Honmaru proved that all too clearly.

After a few slight disagreements, both ninjas had decided to simply bring their findings back to Raven tonight. It seemed like the most logical thing to do, considering Raven knew more on this situation than Kasumi and Ryu did. Perhaps the intelligence agent would know where to go from here.

With that settled, Ryu bid his farewells for the night and Kasumi trekked back to the hotel alone. The kunoichi had a lot on her mind that night and sleep did not come easy. This was especially true after she had noticed the next match-ups for Day 2 of the tournament.

Jin was fighting Xiaoyu tonight in the Urban Jungle. Kasumi made a mental note to be there for that match; it could prove invaluable to discovering more about Jin's incredibly shielded personality. Despite their very brief meeting last night, the kunoichi noticed right away that figuring out anything about Jin's real feelings concerning...well anything, would be even harder than trying to figure out her guardian Hayabusa. He seemed next to impossible to read – the only sure thing Kasumi knew about Jin thus far was that he valued being alone more than anything else for some reason. He seemed extremely reluctant to be close to anyone, which no doubt had to do with his cursed blood.

Cursed blood...the words kept ringing in Kasumi's ears like a never-ending drum. She had absolutely no idea what Jin meant by the term, but she had accepted that no one would give her a clear answer on the subject; she would just have to keep a vigilante eye out on Jin and the Mishimas for her questions to be answered.

Getting out of her bed, Kasumi did a couple stretches and headed towards the shower. She was grateful that she had already fought yesterday; she was incredibly tired after last nights events. The kunoichi also decided to spend more time with Hitomi today; Kasumi had neglected the German a bit since lunch yesterday afternoon. Besides, the group of friends Hitomi had made since arriving here all seemed to have some kind of connection to Jin, and they were a fun group of people anyway.

And friends were something that were _always_ in short supply for Kasumi.

Grinning to herself as she stepped out of the bathroom, the kunoichi quickly got dressed and headed down to breakfast. She was eager to see Hitomi's match today, especially after a brief conversation with Hayate she'd had about a month ago concerning her father.

"_He is truly a compassionate and kind man, not to mention incredibly skilled in the art of karate. He is the reason I'm here today." _

For her brother to speak of someone outside of the clan in such high regard was a testament to how great Joachim Heinrich really was. Kasumi had always wanted to be acquainted with Hitomi and her family; though she wasn't allowed back in the clan, she owed them a debt she could never repay for bringing her brother back.

Kasumi sighed and looked down as she started reflecting on the life she would never have back. She was very grateful that the Mugen Tenshin had stopped their pursuit of her, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't regretful on some degree for pursuing Raidou alone all those years ago. She had no idea what the future held and had no clue where she would even go after all this was over...

The kunoichi was so caught up in her thoughts that she failed to notice the girl she bumped into on her way to the elevator.

"_Mon dieu!_"

Kasumi started as her head snapped up, "Oh! I'm very sorry for bumping into you-"

The redhead's eyes widened slightly as she noticed who she walked into. It was Lili – the girl from yesterday who managed to get Asuka so riled up.

"Do watch where you're going next time."

The kunoichi nodded, a tad embarrassed, "My apologies. You are Lili, correct?"

Lili furrowed her brow as she regarded Kasumi for a few moments, "And you...would be that horrible girl's friend from the gym yesterday?"

"Kasumi," she corrected politely, "And I believe you mean Asuka."

"...Right. Well I need to be going. _Adieu._"

The Monegasque girl flicked her hair as she continued on her way to the elevator. Kasumi followed her after a moment, hoping to perhaps forge some kind of friendship and end whatever animosity had developed between the three of them.

"Wait!"

Lili turned around, "Hm?"

Kasumi placed her hands behind her back, "You're going down, right? I'll go with you, I'm going down too."

The blonde simply rolled her eyes as she pressed the button for the elevator, "If you insist."

While the elevator made it's way to their floor, the two girls stood next to each other awkwardly. Or at least Kasumi felt awkward – Lili didn't look bothered in the slightest, though she was avoiding the kunoichi's gaze somewhat.

Finally, a _ding _was heard and the two girls stepped into the small compartment.

"So..." Kasumi started nervously, "...what brings you to the tournament, Lili?"

"The Mishima Zaibatsu is a constant annoyance for my father's business," stated the blonde matter-of-factly, "I'm here to get them to leave us alone, if you will."

Kasumi nodded in understanding, "I see. I'm sure your father appreciates your efforts."

Lili shook her head, "Father disapproves of fighting. He believes I am on a simple vacation currently with Sebastian."

"You didn't tell him you were coming here?" asked a slightly worried Kasumi.

The younger girl laughed lightly, "Father will thank me later when we control the Zaibatsu."

Silence once again fell over the elevator. Kasumi wanted to sigh in exasperation; this girl was almost _too _confident in her abilities. Last night she noticed that Lili _did_ get through the first round, but if she didn't clean up her attitude a bit she was in for a rude awakening.

In a way, Lili slightly reminded Kasumi of her half-sister Ayane in terms of personality.

Another _ding _was heard, signaling that the girls had reached the main floor. They walked out in unison, but Lili then abruptly turned back to face Kasumi.

"I'm going to the gym to get some training in. You're welcome to join me, that is if your _friend_ is not accompanying you."

Kasumi shook her head politely, "Thank you, but I think I'll grab some breakfast. You should come! There will likely be a whole group of us there."

Lili looked like she was pondering this for a couple moments, "I don't think so. Enjoy your meal, and bring my regards to Asuka."

The last part sounded sarcastic as the Monegasque girl started walking down the lobby. Kasumi decided not to say anything else as she watched her leave.

"She sure is a strange one..." she said to herself as she made her way towards the dining hall.

* * *

Hitomi and Asuka were among the first to arrive to the dining hall. The only other people in there were Steve and Hwoarang, who wasted no time in waving them over to their table. Upon seeing the Brit, a huge smile formed on the German's face and she jogged up to the guys. Asuka rolled her eyes.

"Morning!"

Hwoarang grinned at the girls, "Sup?"

Asuka nodded, "Hey."

Steve smiled at them and then pointed to a counter near the back, "They've got one of those 'make your own omlet' stations over there. Great stuff if you ask me."

Hitomi's smile widened even more, if that was even possible, "REALLY?! Do they have cabbage?!"

Her 3 friends looked rather confused at the karateka's growing excitement. Steve smiled and nodded at her.

"I believe so."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Hitomi all but bolted to the back of the room to make her omlet. Asuka shook her head and moved to sit down at the table.

"Guess she really likes cabbage?" asked an amused Hwoarang.

The Osakan shook her head, "That girl never fails to surprise me. She gets excited about the stupidest things sometimes."

_...But it makes her all the more endearing. _

Steve shrugged as held up a piece of bacon to his mouth, "Well you have to admit, her cheerfulness is pretty refreshing."

Hwoarang nodded, "True. 'Specially since she's not too overbearing like Xiao can be sometimes."

Asuka laughed, "You said it."

"So Asuka," Steve began, "how did your match go last night with Mokujin?"

"Honestly...it was tough. You try beating someone who can't feel pain."

The Korean furrowed his brow in confusion, "So what'd you do against him?"

Asuka shrugged, "Chained him together so he couldn't get up. You shoulda seen him rolling around on the grass...it was a sight to behold."

Steve laughed heartily, "Brilliant."

Leaning her arms on the table casually, Asuka regarded her two friends with a smirk.

"You guys ready for your matches?"

Hwoarang pumped his fist confidently, "You know it! Though I feel bad for Christie after last night..."

Steve laid a reassuring hand on his friends shoulder, "Nothing you could of done, mate. At least you don't have to fight one of our little group we've got going on here – I'm against Julia. She hits hard too...she beat me in the last tournament."

Asuka crossed her arms, "Don't focus on that during your fight. You'll lose for sure if you do."

The Brit nodded with a confident smile on his face, "Right. And I can't lose, not yet anyway."

The Kazama wanted to ask what Steve meant by that, but before she could Hitomi came skipping back to the table. The German had a huge omlet on her plate that quite frankly looked absolutely _delicious_.

"Hope you guys weren't talking about me."

Asuka smiled at her friend, "We totally were."

As the four of them continued their breakfast, the dining hall began to fill up with more people. Hitomi noticed King walk in with Julia and Lei. The three of them made their way to the table and grabbed seats. King was of course wearing his mask, and the German offhandedly wondered if he ever took it off.

"Morning guys!" said Julia happily skipping up to the group, "Hitomi and Asuka, meet King."

The girls were in the middle of eating, so they just smiled and nodded to the wrestler, which he returned. King then grabbed a seat next to Julia and remained silent. Though he didn't seem aggressive at all, Hitomi had to admit that the Mexican had a pretty intimidating appearance. He was very well built, though still smaller than Marduk, but his mask made him seem even bigger somehow.

"Hey Lei," said Hwoarang suddenly, "noticed you're facing my master today. He's old, but don't take him lightly, ya hear?"

The Chinese cop smirked, "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Did you guys see who Xiao's fighting tonight?" asked Julia solemnly.

Hitomi nodded, "Yup. I feel bad for her...I know Jin's the last person she wants to fight."

"Espeically for her first match," said Steve with a pitying smile.

"Well," Asuka began with a shrug, "it's not like it'll be a brutal fight or anything. Those two are friends, so it'll be a respectable fight. At least we know that neither of them will fight like that jerk Feng did last night."

Hitomi gritted her teeth, "Yeah..."

Lei put his hand on his chin in thought, "I don't know girls...Jin is a kind man at heart, but I've seen him fight before. He doesn't fight with the intention to do _unnecessary _harm like Feng, but Xiao can be stubborn at times. She might not leave him with much of a choice. And she's really skilled in her own right too...it's really going to be a great match."

Hwoarang shrugged as he popped another piece of bacon into his mouth, "I'm rootin' for Kazama. Just so that I can beat his ass later on."

Everyone rolled their eyes.

Suddenly, a growl was heard among the group. Everyone looked at King, who wasn't acknowledging the table at all. He seemed to be looking towards the other side of the room at none other than Craig Marduk. The huge Vale Tudo fighter was simply grinning at King, almost as if he was egging him on. Julia rested her hand gently on Kings large arm until he eventually relaxed and recrossed his arms. Marduk snorted and walked to his own table with a huge plate of food.

"I really hate that guy," said Hitomi bitterly, "he seems waaaaay to arrogant just cause he towers over everyone else."

Julia sighed, "He is. But King will beat him, he already did in the last tournament, after all."

Steve smiled fondly, "That was one hell of a match. Though not as good as ours, right Julia?"

The American laughed, "You almost got me. I can't wait to face you again today!"

Hitomi didn't say it, but she was really hoping Steve won that particular fight. She was itching to fight the Brit for some reason. Maybe it was because she had never faced a boxer before, or maybe it was because she couldn't see how someone so charming could really do that much damage.

"Hey look," said Hwoarang pointing to the entrance of the dining hall, "it's your friend, Hitomi."

The German looked to where the Korean was pointing. Indeed, Kasumi was making her way alone to their table with a smile on her face. The kunoichi had her auburn hair tied back in it's usual ponytail with a yellow ribbon, and she was wearing a simple pair of jean short-shorts and a pink t-shirt. Hitomi waved her over enthusiastically.

"Kasumi!"

Hwoarang leaned over to Steve, "Saw that she beat Yoshimitsu last night. You gotta admit that's impressive."

The Brit nodded, "Yeah. Not bad looking either."

The Korean smirked, "You're into her?"

Steve smiled, looking towards Hitomi, "Not really, no. She's all yours, mate."

Kasumi finally arrived at the table and bowed slightly, "Hello everyone."

"Congrats on beating Yoshimitsu!" said Asuka enthusiastically. She liked Kasumi; the girl seemed to be very kind at heart, though she did seem a bit too serious at times.

The kunoichi smiled, "Thank you, Asuka. He was a tough opponent."

Lei chuckled, "You better believe it, he's a ninja."

Hitomi suddenly whipped her head towards Kasumi. Their eyes met for a brief moment before the redhead broke it quickly. Asuka however, noticed the small exchange but chose to say nothing.

"Yes, and he is quite skilled in ninjutsu. I too use that style, though I'm just a fan. I've never seen a real ninja before, so it was quite an honour to fight him."

Hitomi planted a fake smile on her face as Kasumi easily told that bold-faced lie to the rest of the group. Everyone seemed to buy it, even Asuka, though Hitomi suspected that Kasumi had told the Osakan this yesterday already.

Hwoarang raised his eyebrows, "You use the same style and you won? No offense but I wouldn't expect that from someone who isn't a ninja. I've heard that they spend their entire lives perfecting that art."

Kasumi shrugged, an uncharacteristic smug smile on her face, "You could say the same thing about me."

Hitomi was slightly unnerved by how easy it was for the kunoichi to lie through her teeth. She was amazed that no one had suspicions about her.

"So," said Kasumi looking around the table, "Where's Xiaoyu? I thought she would be here by now."

Julia furrowed her brow, "Yeah, that's a good point. It's not like her to skip out on breakfast."

"She's facing Jin tonight," said Asuka plainly, "her mind is probably swimming with loads of different emotions right now."

Hitomi nodded, "Yeah...I saw her last night in the lobby and she looked pretty rough. I hope she's okay."

Hwoarang shook his head, "She will be. She always gets like this whenever Jin is involved."

"It must be tough for her," said Kasumi sadly.

The Korean scoffed, "To be honest, I don't know why she keeps clinging onto that hope. I like her too much to see her get let down again and again by Kazama."

Julia sighed, "Hwoarang..."

Hitomi rested her cheek in the palm of her hand, "It's tough letting go sometimes..."

Kasumi looked towards the karateka then. They shared a look of sympathy that this time went unnoticed by everyone except Asuka and Steve. The Brit looked like he wanted to say something, but Asuka was quick to jump in.

"Hey, Hitomi it's 8:15. You should probably be getting ready for your match against Bruce."

Lei nodded, "Yeah, he's a tough opponent. Uses Muay Thai. About 20 years back he got into a scuffle with my old partner which resulted in his...death."

Asuka gaped at him, "Really?"

The detective nodded, "Yeah, but there was more to it than the fight. The fight between my partner and Bruce took place on a plane... and the plane crashed. Bruce was the only survivor. I confronted him in the second tournament and we somewhat resolved things. I've forgiven him in a sense, but you still shouldn't take him lightly, Hitomi."

The German nodded, a confident expression on her face, "I won't."

With that, Hitomi got up and said goodbye to her friends as she headed back to her and Asuka's room to get ready. The Osakan called out, "Good luck!" as she was leaving.

Lei sighed after Hitomi left, "I heard Bruce worked for Kazuya after that plane crashed. I wonder if he's here because of him now..."

Kasumi leaned forward, intrigued at this new information, "He worked for Kazuya?"

* * *

Sergei Dragunov stood outside of the dining hall and looked towards the Asuka's table. That girl was there, the one that confronted Jin Kazama last night. The Spetsnaz operative was able to pick up her name when that German girl called it out earlier...Kasumi.

Taking a few more moments to look at the kunoichi, Dragunov nodded to himself as he left the area quietly.

* * *

**A/N: **Dragunov, just what are you planning? And yes, I like to play around with Hitomi's obsession with cabbage...Until next time! Remember to review!


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 – Day 2: Fujin, God of the Winds**

Kasumi followed silently as her and the others made their way to the arena after breakfast. The rest of the group were animatedly discussing Hitomi's match and how they thought it was going to play out.

"I don't know" said Hwoarang with a shrug, "I honestly haven't seen either of these people fight yet so I have no idea who would win. But naturally I'm rootin' for Hitomi."

Lei nodded in agreement, "Me too, but I have to say it won't be easy for her to come out on top. I've faced Bruce before...he's one of the best Muay Thai boxers I've ever seen."

Asuka sighed, "It focuses heavily on elbow and knee strikes too. My dad said that's why the style is so renowned worldwide. Practically every martial artist knows how difficult it is to reverse those kinds of attacks."

Steve chuckled, "She'll find a way. Hitomi's a bright girl, probably even more so when it comes to fighting."

Kasumi chose this moment to chime in, "She is. I have seen her fight before; she puts her all into every single fight as if her life depended on it. I've rarely seen someone so dedicated to their art."

"Her father's doing no doubt," replied Lei, "I'd imagine that man put her through some pretty rigorous training over the years."

"Guess we're about to see if it paid off," said the Osakan with a shrug as the group took their seats.

The arena was enormous. Kasumi found it amazing that this place was actually _attached_ to the hotel, as it truly looked much bigger than the said building from the inside. Scanning the outside of the arena, the kunoichi noticed that the stands lined the entire perimeter and were filling up very quickly. Soon enough, the place was completely filled with excited fans.

The arena itself was a fairly large, imposing steel cage that was octagonal in nature. The mat seemed pretty standard but the walls looked very...uninviting. Cold, tempered steel that looked impossible to even scratch - Kasumi definitely wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of a head on collision with one of them.

Soon enough, most of the lights in the room dimmed while a few large spotlights focused on the center of the arena. A man then walked into the very center of the stage with a mic in his hand. He was scrawny, and Asuka realized right away that this was the same guy who was at Urban Jungle last night.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Day 2 of the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5!"

The crowd, of course, roared with anticipation. Kasumi noticed Asuka roll her eyes in annoyance. She suppressed a grin at the sight.

_She's clearly not used to these sort of things._

"We welcome you all back to the Iron Fist Arena, where we will once again be starting things off for the day. As you know, this is the second day of preliminaries which means all new fighters and a new brand of excitement! I hope your ready!"

Asuka grunted in exasperation, "Geez, will he just get on with it already!"

Julia suddenly perked up, "Look! There's Hitomi!"

Everyone's eyes shifted to a stairwell branching off the arena which probably lead to the locker rooms. At the top of the stairs just outside the arena was the German karateka. She was currently speaking with what looked to be a tournament official of some sort. She was nodding along to what he was saying, evidently quite bored.

Hitomi was wearing her standard karate gi. It was white and looked fresh, Asuka guessed that it was probably a new one she nabbed from her dojo before leaving to come here. The Osakan also silently gave her approval at Hitomi's choice of wearing a traditional white headband instead of her pink one; she was glad the two shared that trait for some reason.

The scrawny man continued his announcements as the crowd finally died down, "Our first combatant is a new face in the King of Iron Fist Tournament, but I have been informed that she has made quite an impression on another competition that you all might be aware of...called Dead or Alive!"

At this, the crowd gave a mixed response of excited cheers along with couple "Ooh's" and "Ahh's". Kasumi offhandedly wondered if anyone would recognize her at some point, considering she had indeed _won_ the first Dead or Alive tournament. She shrugged it off, knowing that since then she had done a pretty decent job of concealing herself from the public. Or her _true_ self anyway.

"She's the daughter of a world-renowned German karate master, give it up for Hitomi Heinrich!"

The crowd once again lost it and cheered madly for the karate girl as she jogged up to the arena. If she was nervous at all, you couldn't tell. After waving at the crowd a couple times with a cheery smile, Hitomi's face suddenly morphed into one of determination and seriousness. Asuka was a bit taken aback at how quickly her expression changed. It was a bit unnerving.

"Say...she's pretty hot, eh?"

"You said it, I always thought the one thing these tournaments lacked was some feisty and good-looking gals."

"Well there's that one Chinese girl with the pigtails...she's pretty cute too, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah I guess, but she's not my type. Too girly and annoying for my liking. This chick meanwhile looks like she's got spunk and a tomboyish way to her, plus...look at that body. What I wouldn't give to-"

"Will you can it, losers?"

Asuka had whipped around to face the two guys sitting behind their group with a decidedly fierce glare. Steve joined her a moment later, looking rather unimpressed with the two, while Hwoarang, Julia and Lei simply rolled their eyes. Kasumi didn't even seem to hear their comments at all, and still had her gaze unflinchingly focused on the arena in front of her.

"She's not a piece of meat, you know. She happens to be a friend of ours." Steve was now fixing the two obnoxious guys with a look that seemed a bit uncharacteristic of him – he looked a bit angry.

The bigger man of the two laughed carelessly, "Well your friend is hot, it's a compliment so relax. What are you two getting so bitchy about it for? It's not like I said I was gonna do anything..."

"You were about to," Asuka pointed out, "before we interrupted you."

Steve clenched his gloved fist, "If you insist on speaking about Hitomi like that, be so kind as to do it where I can't hear you, got that?"

The smaller guy shrugged and gave them an annoyed look before turning back to the arena, "Whatever, match is starting anyway. Great, you guys made us miss the other guy's introduction."

Lei turned around this time and planted a fake smile on his face, "Name's Bruce. He's a veteran kickboxer. There, you're all caught up. Now sit back and watch the fight."

The two guys finally decided to shut up at the sight of all three glares being directed towards them and just brought their attention back to the match. When Asuka looked back at the arena she tried scoping out Bruce – it wasn't long till she found him.

He was a big guy – probably around 6'1 if she had to guess then and there. He was pretty muscular but also a bit lean, probably so that he could maintain his stamina for some of the more agile "_flying knees_" that Muay Thai was also known for.

Bruce was shirtless and was wearing skin-tight blue shorts adorned with flames that reached his mid thighs. He had wraps on both his hands and feet, and around his neck was a strange necklace of some sort. Asuka wondered for a moment why he was still wearing it but shrugged it off.

The Muay Thai fighter's face was completely stoic and arguably as determined as Hitomi's, though it definitely lacked the youthfulness of the German's. Even from their place in the stands, it was clear as day to Asuka that this guy wasn't much younger than her father, though she'd be lying if she said he wasn't in good shape for his age.

"Damn," said Lei as he leaned forward slightly, "he almost looks better than he did 20 years ago." Asuka couldn't help but start feeling a bit nervous at the detective's observation...

...Hitomi was in for quite a match.

"Get ready, fight!"

* * *

"I hope you're ready for this, kid."

Hitomi slapped her face twice and gave Bruce a confident smirk, "I'm tougher than I look."

The two slowly started moving around the arena, never keeping their eyes off of each other. Hitomi noticed that Bruce wasn't necessarily advancing on her, just circling the arena as if biding his time. She always liked playing a more defensive role when fighting, specifically because her strikes were powerful but a bit slower than say, Jann Lee's for example.

It didn't matter though, all the German needed from Bruce was an opening before she could capitalize.

And sure enough, the Muay Thai fighter eventually got impatient and lunged at her. Hitomi stood her ground, though she was slightly surprised at how fast he was. As Bruce got closer, the karateka noticed he was beginning to move down into a crouching position. Anticipating an uppercut of some kind, Hitomi brought up her arms quickly in order to guard her face and midsection.

Unfortunately, she guessed wrong.

While waiting for an uppercut that never came, Bruce had instead opted to connect his right foot with her left shin using an extremely powerful low kick. Immediately, the German yelped in pain and subconciously let her guard down as she winced and reached for her leg.

Noticing this, the Muay Thai fighter didn't let up one bit. With that same surprising agility he displayed only moments before, Bruce brought up his elbow in an attempt to land the uppercut Hitomi had been anticipating previously. With only seconds to react, Hitomi thought quickly and stayed crouched down long enough for the elbow to go soaring over her head. As soon as she noticed that he had missed his attack, the German threw out her foot and kicked his abdomen, partly so that she could use the force to roll herself away from Bruce for a couple moments.

She needed to catch her breath after that surprising and aggressive onslaught the man had just displayed.

* * *

"...I've never seen so much power in a simple low kick before..." Asuka breathed out slowly.

Hwoarang crossed his arms, "Bruce definitely knows what he's doing. He put her in a position where she was forced to guess if he was going for a low attack or a high one. I would've just sidestepped him, personally."

"He would have caught me with that one too, he only gave her about 3 seconds to react," said Lei matter-of-factly, "I'm surprised she even had time to think to guard at all, even though she guessed wrong."

"Bruce has got pretty long legs anyway," Julia chimed in, "I don't think sidestepping him would be easy. Especially with how quick he can dish out those kicks."

"So what you guys are saying," Asuka began, "is that Tomi's gonna have to start manning up and going on the offensive?"

Steve furrowed his brow and gave the Osakan a weird look, "Tomi?"

Noticing the look her friends were giving her, Asuka noticeably flushed and looked back towards the arena, "We're missing the fight, you guys!"

* * *

After creating space between her and Bruce, the pain in Hitomi's leg had somewhat subsided and she was back to prime form in a matter of seconds. Her opponent was watching her again, his expression holding the slightest bit of smugness.

"You got some kick there," began the German with a smile, "but I got you figured out now."

Bruce chuckled a little bit as he got back into his stance, "You got spunk, kid. I like that. It's too bad I'm gonna have to finish you."

As she resumed her own stance Hitomi chose not to say anything and instead advance on Bruce this time. Once she was only a few feet away from him, she suddenly bolted towards the Muay Thai fighter at an incredible pace. Bruce looked slightly surprised but recovered quickly as he went to move into the foreground.

But he moved too quickly.

Hitomi smirked widely as she stopped short – her plan had worked. Bruce sidestepped too early to avoid what he probably thought was going to be a jump kick of sorts, and when nothing happened he looked a little bit disoriented.

_That's all I need. _

Taking his mere seconds of confusion to capitalize, Hitomi lunged at Bruce again and rocked him with a solid punch right square in the jaw. The force of it was enough to make him stagger a couple feet away in a daze.

* * *

"Yeah!" cheered an excited Asuka, "Right square in the teeth!"

Lei rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "Ouch..."

Steve chuckled as he patted Hwoarang's back, "That was one hell of a hit, eh mate?"

The Korean's eyes widened, "Doesn't look like she's finished yet either."

* * *

The Muay Thai fighter shook his head a couple times to try and make his vision clear again. That punch was...unexpected considering the appearance of his opponent. She did look like she knew what she was doing, but Bruce would be lying if he thought she was capable of such a strike. The girl truly _was_ tougher than she looked.

He was about to commend her on that when he suddenly felt a harsh kick connect with his ribs.

"Guh!"

Bruce fell backwards and onto his backside. The crowd was cheering pretty loud at this point, and when he looked up he saw the girl standing about a foot away with a cheeky grin plastered on her face.

"Osu," she said politely.

Bruce gritted his teeth as he rose quickly despite the pain, "You..."

* * *

Jin stood in the vacant lobby as he watched the fight unfold before him on the big television screen. The Kazama never liked going to watch fights in places like the Arena – solitude was always his preferred environment. This was also the reason why he _really _wasn't looking forward to his match tonight. He had hoped that Xiao would have been eliminated by someone like Julia or even, dare he say Hwoarang, simply because he knew she would be safe and they wouldn't do unnecessary harm to her.

But him? Not a good choice. And the fact that it was in the Urban Jungle surrounded by what was probably a bunch of no good ruffians was not helping the situation. Jin of course wouldn't _try_ to do unnecessary harm to Xiao but...well after a few recent events he wasn't so sure if he would be able to control it.

_No, _he thought to himself, _it is not an option to give in. Not against her. _

"Jin."

He turned around and came face to face with the very person he was worried about. She looked extremely tired, like she hadn't got much sleep last night. No doubt this was because of him.

He nodded slowly, "Xiao."

The girl sighed as she looked towards the ground, "So...you saw your match-up right?"

Again, Jin nodded but this time stayed silent.

Suddenly Xiaoyu looked up at her friend and put her hands on her hips, "I'm not losing, y'know."

The Kazama crossed his arms and looked away from her, "Please leave this place, Xiao."

"Stop saying that to me!"

Jin looked up at Xiao in slight surprise. It wasn't like her to raise her voice like that out of nowhere...well maybe it was like her, but not with him. She had her fists clenched and was glaring at him now. Jin sighed.

"Xiao-"

"I'm not a little girl! Why do you have to always treat me like one? You've seen me fight before, and you went to school with me AND we lived together for a year! How can you still treat me like...like your little sister?!"

_Because you'll be in danger if I let you in..._

The two friends just stared at each other for what seemed like hours. Jin's face was passive and emotionless as usual, but upon closer inspection it had the slightest trace of hurt in them. Xiao on the other hand, was having a tougher time concealing her pain. Her eyes were welling up and she was rubbing them furiously to try to make them disappear.

"I must go," said Jin simply, "I hope I do not see you tonight, Xiao."

As he walked away, the Kazama inwardly cursed himself for how the last sentence sounded. He didn't mean it like that...he just wanted her to be safe...

Xiaoyu didn't say anything as he left her. She just stood there as the television blared throughout the lobby and cried silently.

* * *

Back and forth, the two fighters relentlessly combated with each other. Bruce had since dropped his smug demeanor and was lunging towards Hitomi every chance he got. He was successful in some of their clashes, knocking the German off her feet each time he won a scuffle, but every single time Hitomi got right back up and they were at it again.

_Where is this girl getting the stamina to keep up with me? _

He had truly given her everything he had...punches, kicks, elbows, knees, even a couple throws...but he was only minimally successful with each attack.

After a half-hour had passed, both fighters were extremely exhausted but refused to stay down. Getting up slowly, Bruce regarded Hitomi with a serious, but tired expression.

"Why won't you stay down?"

"Can't lose," replied Hitomi simply as she got back into her stance, "not to you."

Bruce clenched his fist and glared at the German, "We'll see, kid."

For her part, Hitomi was utterly exhausted. This guy had definitely proven to be a handful. The only other Muay Thai fighter she knew was Zack, and he had absolutely nothing on Bruce. Still, she knew going in that she wasn't going to lose.

She simply couldn't allow herself to; not until either her or Asuka beat Feng Wei to a pulp. If she lost before that, she would never be able to forgive herself.

_I gotta finish this now. _

As soon as she had finished her thought, Bruce was suddenly running towards her full speed , somehow having gained a second wind despite their completely draining battle so far. Narrowing her eyes, the German waited patiently as Bruce began deciding what to do. She cursed herself for doing so, as she saw him once again get into that same crouching position – the same way he had started the match.

Rearing her fist back, Hitomi waited a couple more seconds as Bruce began getting closer...

_Not this time, Bruce. Wait for it..._

Bruce was less then a foot away now. A few more seconds and she could be finished...

_Little more..._

Rearing her fist back just a bit more, everything went quiet in Hitomi's head despite the deafening screams of the crowd. Bruce just needed to lift his arms up a little bit and...

"Time to end this!"

_Now! _

With a mighty shout Hitomi finally let loose her _Fujin _punch and connected once again with Bruce's ribs. It was the strongest technique in her arsenal, taught to both her and Ein only a couple of years ago by her father. She rarely used it in battle, only using it twice in the last tournament due to how incredibly draining it was to do.

Yet somehow, Hitomi forced herself to stay on her feet long enough to see if Bruce would get up.

He had rolled away across almost the entirety of the arena, stopping just a few feet away from one of those unforgiving walls. The crowd was deathly silent after the punch. After her opponent had stopped rolling, he didn't make a sound, nor did even move at all.

_Please..._

She had thought she had felt his ribs crack under the force of her strike, but she could be wrong. It all happened so fast that it was impossible to tell. And then...

"Bruce Irvin appears to be knocked out. The winner is: Hitomi Heinrich!"

The crowd, having gone completely quiet after her _Fujin _hit the Muay Thai fighter, once again started cheering wildly. Everything from claps, whistles and obscenities were being fired from all directions. Hitomi sighed in both exhaustion and relief, then grinned widely as she waved to the crowd enthusiastically despite how she felt.

* * *

"SHE DID IT!" yelled Asuka excitedly as she and her friends shot up from their chairs with the rest of the crowd.

"Wow..." was the only thing Hwoarang could say, and the Osakan was secretly glad someone actually impressed him for once and shut his trap.

Lei was chuckling to himself as he cheered along with them. If he had any suspicions about Hitomi's fighting prowess beforehand, they were just thrown out the window.

_She truly is the daughter of Joachim Heinrich. _

Steve on the other hand was a bit more reserved then his friends, though he couldn't keep the wide grin off of his face. The girl's strength that he just witnessed happened to be yet another quality about her that he was finding positively endearing. Secretly, the Brit started to become worried about his promise to Asuka...

...this cheerful German girl was beginning to find a way into his heart, and he kind of wanted to let her in.

* * *

Heihachi sat on the floor inside the vacant house he had found a couple miles down from where he landed a week ago. His large palms were resting on his knees and he was concentrating deeply.

The explosion had certainly taken it's toll on the man. A small part of him wanted to just go to a hospital and annouce his survival, but that would cause many unnecessary problems for him. Not to mention the fact that he was a Mishima, and Mishimas accepting help from others was a laughable notion.

No...he would recuperate himself. He had done so before after Kazuya threw him down that cliff at the conclusion of the first tournament. The same cliff that he himself had thrown his son off of when he was still a puny little runt...

...which is pretty much how Heihachi still saw Kazuya to this day.

The Mishima forced himself to stand up and get into his stance. Closing his eyes for a moment, he clenched his fist and concentrated deeply. Soon enough, electricity began to engulf his right forearm and wrist, and despite the terrible pain he was in, he unleashed a truly fearsome Electric Wind God Fist. Despite how tired the maneuver made him, Heihachi had to smile at the fact that he could still pull off his most feared signature move despite his current condition.

No matter what kind of injuries he sustained, if he could walk Heihachi had no problems bringing himself back up to top shape. Even if the last time he did this was over 20 years ago...

...but of course, the man always considered himself living proof that age was but a number.

And it was only a matter of days until he solidified that fact.

* * *

Hitomi sat in the locker room behind the arena, still clad in her now dirt and sweat covered karate gi. Glancing at herself in the mirror she had to laugh...she was a complete mess. Bruce had really done a number on her.

She had a couple cuts and scrapes on her arms and face, but what really stuck out was a nasty bruise that was starting to form right smack on top of her left eye. She laughed again – that wouldn't look good in a few hours.

"Hitomi!"

The German turned around and was surprised when Asuka all but tackled her with a fierce hug while the rest of her friends watched with amusement. She noticed however, that Kasumi wasn't present.

"We saw the fight! You were great!"

The karateka chuckled as her friend still had her in her grasp, "Thanks, Asuka, but I can't breathe..."

The Osakan let go and grew red in the face while looking down, "Right, sorry. Good job though, seriously."

Hwoarang walked up to the older girl and gave her a solid pat on the back, "You sure kicked his ass."

"Not to mention that punch at the end!" exclaimed Julia with a big smile, "I think we all felt it from the stands."

"Bloody brilliant," said Steve crossing his arms.

Hitomi blushed, "You guys..."

"Anyway," began Lei, "we ought to head back upstairs and wait for Hitomi before grabbing lunch. Hwoarang's match is the next in our group here and it's only at 1 so we have time."

"Yeah, you could really use a shower," Asuka teased.

The German flashed her friend a grin, "Don't start with me, Strawberry."

The Kazama girl huffed and turned to head upstairs, "Damn it!"

Hitomi smiled as the rest of her friends followed her, laughing all the while. Before she turned to get cleaned up, she noticed Steve was still in the doorway. He had an odd expression on his face.

"What's up?"

Her voice seemed to break the Brit out of whatever trance he was just in and he scratched the back of his head a bit awkwardly.

"Oh, nothing...you did really great out there, Hitomi. Absolutely fantastic."

Hitomi looked away, feeling her face get warm, "Um...thanks."

Steve suddenly cleared his throat, "Well then, better catch up to the others. See ya in a bit."

The German smiled and nodded as he left. When he was gone Hitomi placed her palm on her chest and felt her heartbeat. It's rhythm was steady, but it was definitely elevated and her chest in general felt a whole lot warmer. There was a silly little grin on her face as she finally made her way towards the showers.

Hitomi hadn't experienced _this _feeling in quite a while...and she kinda liked it.

* * *

**A/N:** Update time! I figured it was about time to add some more drama to this story, but remember there are a lot of characters to consider with this particular one so it might take a couple more chapters. I hope you'll stick with me as more things start to unfold! And remember of course to review!


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